


Mind Wrapped

by imekitty



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M, Life Swap, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-02-11 20:59:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12943773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imekitty/pseuds/imekitty
Summary: A mysterious ghost switches Paulina's life with Danny's so that she can learn more about the ghost boy.





	1. The Only Boy for Her

The bell had not yet rung. There was still plenty of time for Paulina to check her make-up one last time…or three last times. She had an image to maintain, after all.

"Paulina, your skin is glowing.  _Glowing_ ," said her best friend, Star, with a laugh. "You can't possibly make it look any better."

"Well, sometimes, I like to admire myself, too! I'm almost jealous of those who aren't me since they get to look at me." Paulina observed her face in her locker mirror. "Almost."

She put a hand on her locker door to close it, but she halted, gazing at her Danny Phantom shrine.

Danny Phantom…the ghost boy who had captured her heart, the only boy she actually felt anything other than lust for. He made her feel girly, lightheaded.

But he was so elusive. She had no idea where to find him, no idea how to get in touch with him, no idea how to even get him to notice her.

Someone walked by her, a boy who tried to sneak a glance at her unnoticed. Paulina was used to boys checking her out in this fashion and normally just ignored them, but this wasn't just any boy. Paulina watched Danny Fenton from behind as he walked toward his locker. She continued to stare at him, pondering. His parents were well-known ghost hunters, and she had noticed that he often seemed to attract the ghost boy. She had even invited him to her fifteenth birthday party just to increase the chances of the ghost boy arriving, and the way Danny cheerfully promised her that the ghost boy would come to her party…

Did Danny somehow know the ghost boy?

"Paulina?" Star's brows were raised as she called out to the Latina.

Paulina blinked and looked at Star. "Hmm?"

"Why were you staring at Fenton?" Star gave her an amused smile.

Paulina shook her head. "I wasn't." She closed her locker and repositioned her purse on her shoulder, her books for her first class in her arm.

"You totally were." Star's grin grew even wider, more brazen.

Paulina noticed Star's expression. "Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Paulina, give it up already. I know you secretly like him."

Paulina's mouth dropped slightly. "I do not!"

"You tease him more than any other boy at this school," said Star with a chortle.

Paulina wanted to make a retort, but she knew that this was actually true. There was something about Danny that made him fun to toy with. Sure, he wasn't even close to being in her league, and he was just one of the many boys in the school, losers and cool kids alike, who were crushing on her, but Danny was different from the other loser boys who were infatuated with her. He was actually cute in both looks and personality; he didn't gross her out like the other loser boys did, and his awkward behavior around her was actually endearing. If he wasn't such a dork who tried way too hard to be cool, Paulina was sure he could've been at least a B-Lister in the school based on his looks alone.

"Paulina!"

Paulina snapped back to attention. "Star?"

"You were staring at him again!"

Paulina rolled her eyes. "I don't like him, Star. I just think he's kind of cute, okay? I mean, even you can't deny that!"

"He's all right." Star shrugged.

"I just like my eye candy, and I  _love_  stringing him along. He's way too much fun."

The bell rang just then. Paulina looked at Danny again, and this time, he turned and met her gaze. She gave him a seductive smile, enjoying the blush appearing in his face. She then quickly turned on her heel and walked toward her first class.

"Whatever. You totally like him," said Star, following after her.

Paulina playfully shoved Star but did not argue further.

-DP-

That night, Paulina rode around the town on her moped. She often took night rides like this not only to clear her head but to hopefully find ghosts. Well, one ghost in particular…but wherever there were ghosts, Danny Phantom was sure to be there to fight them off.

She had gotten lucky a couple of times this way. The ghost boy was always surprised to see her, but to her joy, he always seemed quite pleased, too. However, something always prevented him from staying too long, another ghost or even a ghost hunter. He would always take off with barely a farewell.

Paulina was determined to make him stay one of these nights.

A green flash caught her attention. She made a sharp turn and followed it. Another flash, brighter, stronger. The lights began to be accompanied by loud crashes and shrieks the closer she drew.

In the darkened soccer field of an elementary school, a large glowing piranha swam through the air. It bared its teeth and tried to swallow another ghost, a ghost with white hair and dressed in a black and white jumpsuit. He dodged the fish and blasted it to the ground. He then pulled out a tube-shaped device and pointed it at the fallen ghost.

Paulina's eyes widened and sparkled with excitement. She jumped off her moped and ran onto the field. "Ghost boy!" she cried.

Danny Phantom turned from the piranha ghost. "Paulina?" he asked, confusion and alarm mixed in his voice.

"You remember my name!" Paulina clasped her hands against her cheek.

Danny Phantom was about to say more when the piranha fish slammed into him, knocking him into a soccer net. The tube-shaped device flew out of his hands and landed on the grass.

"Ghost boy!" shrieked Paulina. She started to run toward him.

"No!" yelled Danny Phantom. "Paulina, stay back!"

Paulina halted and watched the ghost boy phase out of the net, throwing another blast of green energy at the piranha ghost. Nearby, she noticed the device he had dropped. Curiously, she walked over and bent to pick it up. She had no idea what it was as she studied it, but it looked like a highly advanced thermos. She turned it over and furrowed her brow at the only word branded on the device.

"Fenton?" she murmured. The ghost boy was using a Fenton device? Did the Fentons and the ghost boy have some sort of alliance?

No…she remembered how Jack and Maddie Fenton were always trying to catch the ghost boy, convinced that he was not to be trusted. They would surely never allow the ghost boy to use any of their inventions.

But they weren't the only Fentons…

The ghost boy once spoke very highly of Danny Fenton to her on board a ghostly pirate ship. At the time, she hadn't thought too much of it, but perhaps Danny Fenton had some sort of association or even friendship with the ghost boy. Perhaps Danny Fenton supplied the ghost boy with various inventions for battling and capturing ghosts.

"Paulina!"

Paulina was brought out of her thoughts by the ghost boy's call.

"Throw me the thermos! Quick!" Up in the air above her, the ghost boy held out an open hand to her. The piranha ghost was flopping around on the grass.

Paulina looked back at the thermos in her hand, then wound up her arm and threw it with all off her might. The ghost boy caught it, but he seemed a little surprised by the force, speed, and accuracy. "Wow, good throw!"

Paulina beamed at the compliment.

The ghost boy took the cap off of the thermos and pointed it at the weakened piranha ghost. The large fish was quickly sucked into the thermos with a high-pitched screech. The ghost boy capped the thermos and exhaled loudly with relief.

"Ghost boy!" Paulina looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

The ghost boy smiled down at her. "Of course I'm okay. I do this all the time."

Paulina loved his confidence, his heroic stance.

"Are  _you_  okay?"

And he was so caring, too!

"I'm just fine," Paulina answered breathlessly.

The ghost boy's eyes were so warm, so kind. "I'm glad." He turned as if to fly away. "Good seeing you again."

"No, don't go!" shrieked Paulina.

The ghost boy stopped in alarm. "Is something wrong?"

"No, but…please don't go." Paulina looked up at him imploringly.

The ghost boy seemed perplexed, unsure what to do. He almost looked…conflicted? Paulina was not quite sure how to interpret his expression. At last, he descended and planted himself on the ground in front of Paulina.

Paulina wanted to confess her love for him, wanted to throw herself at him right then, but she resisted the urge. She didn't want to frighten him off, especially when he could so easily become intangible or invisible and slip out of her grasp.

But she had to say something, had to keep him here somehow. "So…what is that, exactly?" She pointed at the device in his hand.

The ghost boy looked down at the thermos. "Oh, this. I use it to catch ghosts."

"Did you make it yourself?"

"No."

"Who did, then?"

The ghost boy hesitated, did not answer. Paulina could see that he was trying to think of something.

"It says 'Fenton' on it," she finally said.

The ghost boy almost seemed panicked by the name. Paulina gave him an amused smirk as she crossed her arms. "Oh, did you steal it or something?"

"No!" cried the ghost boy quickly. He shrank back a bit. "I mean…I'm not a thief, but…" Paulina could once again see that he was trying desperately to come up with a reason for why he had a thermos created by the Fentons.

"Did someone give it to you?" asked Paulina.

The ghost boy looked at her but did not reply.

"Did Danny Fenton give it to you?"

The ghost boy's eyes glazed over. He blinked and refocused them.

"It's okay; you can tell me!" Paulina gave him a reassuring smile. "I know that he's a friend of yours."

The ghost boy furrowed his brow. "What makes you say that?"

"I seem to recall you telling me to make out with him and to wrap my mind around the idea of 'Paulina Fenton.'" Paulina batted her eyes a couple times.

The color in the ghost boy's face darkened slightly. He put a hand to his forehead in what looked like embarrassment. "I did say that, didn't I?" He looked back at her with a sheepish grin and held his hands up. "Okay, I am  _so_ sorry about that. It was a really stupid, immature thing to say."

"No, no! It was sweet!" insisted Paulina.

The ghost boy eyed her warily.

"You were just being a good friend to Danny Fenton, right?"

The ghost boy's eyes shifted as he mulled this thought over. "I…guess you could put it that way."

"So, you admit it?" Paulina moved closer to him. "You and Danny Fenton are friends?"

The ghost boy chewed the inside of his cheek. "Well…I mean…I know who he is…"

"Poor guy," said Paulina wistfully. "He wants me so much, even managed to convince you to play him up for me." She put a hand in his glowing white hair. The strands felt cool and a little tingly as they entwined around her fingers, but also so real. She wondered if the rest of him felt just as real.

The ghost boy seemed a little unsure, but he did not pull away.

"But unfortunately for him, there's only one boy for me." Paulina leaned in closer to him. "You…Danny Phantom."

She could see conflict in his eyes, uncertainty, but she could also see some longing, desire.

"Have you ever kissed anyone, Danny?" asked Paulina.

The way she addressed him so casually by his first name seemed to catch him off guard, but she could also feel him melt a little, could see it in the way he looked at her, could hear it in the way his breathing changed.

"Of course you have," whispered Paulina. "How silly of me to ask. I bet you're quite the heartbreaker in the ghost world." She put her arms over his shoulders.

The ghost boy shook his head. "They didn't mean anything." He looked down at the ground, not meeting Paulina's gaze. "I mean…I've never had a meaningful kiss before."

"Then allow me to be your first." Paulina closed her eyes and moved her mouth toward his. She could feel the ghost boy coming toward her as well, his hands brushing against her back and waist.

A loud beeping noise interrupted them. The ghost boy broke away and observed the thermos which was blaring in warning, a red light blinking on its body. "I'm sorry, Paulina. I have to take care of this," he said, his voice raspy and anxious. He took off into the sky at breakneck speed.

Paulina gazed up at him as he flew out of sight feeling jilted, rejected, frustrated.


	2. The Phantom's Keeper

The next day at lunch, Paulina performed her usual midday make-up check in her pocket mirror as she sat with Star at their usual table in the cafeteria. Dash and Kwan had already run off to play with their football outside. Star was griping about an argument she had had with her parents the night before, but Paulina wasn't really listening. All she could think about was her encounter with the ghost boy, how close she was to him.

And how close he apparently was to Danny Fenton.

She could see the dark-haired boy at a table nearby with his friends, the techno dweeb and the goth geek. She gazed at him, pondering his connection to the ghost boy. How well did he know the ghost boy? Did he know where she could find him? If she pushed just the right buttons with him, she was sure she could get him to tell her anything she wanted, and she was very good at pushing the right buttons with boys, especially boys who were already infatuated with her.

"Paulina?" Star sounded irritated.

Paulina turned to her blonde friend. "Your parents are totally unreasonable, Star."

Star rolled her eyes. "I'm not even talking about that anymore!" She jerked her head slightly in the direction of the three unpopular friends. "Seriously, you seem more obsessed with Fenton than usual. Are you scheming or something?"

Paulina chuckled. "You know me too well."

"Just be careful. Valerie will literally kill you if you do anything to hurt him."

Paulina raised a brow. "And how would you know that? Do you hang out with her or something?"

Star straightened up, her complexion paling a little. "No! I just hear things, see things. I mean, you remember how they were dating for awhile, right?"

"Valerie and Danny?" Paulina racked her memory. "No, I don't recall." She smirked at Star. "But how do  _you_  know that?"

Star shrugged. "I just pay attention. Can't really rule the school if you don't know what's going on in it."

"Well, I guess that's what I have you for, to keep me informed." She turned back to her mirror and checked her make-up one last time. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a scheme to carry out."

She stood and put on her best sultry expression. Ignoring a low groan from Star, she walked toward Danny Fenton and his friends.

"Speak of the devil, here she is," said Sam with her usual dry tone.

Danny and Tucker both turned to look at the Latina. Tucker broke into a wide grin. Danny seemed anxious.

"Oh, were you talking about me?" Paulina put a hand to her chest. "Good, because I was just thinking about you." She sat down next to Danny well within his personal space. "And by you, I mean  _you_ , Danny."

Danny's bright blue eyes widened in what looked like panic. "Me?" he squeaked. He coughed and tried again with his normal lower tone. "I mean, what about me?"

Paulina put a hand on his shoulder. "May I talk to you privately, Danny?" She purposely used his first name even though she didn't need to. Boys loved hearing pretty girls use their names so casually, so affectionately.

Danny glanced at his two friends. Sam gave him a death glare and shook her head. Tucker looked at Sam then back at Danny and shrugged.

"Whatever you have to say to him, you can say it with us here," said Sam. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

Danny was quiet for a few seconds before he said to his friends, "Just give us two minutes, okay?"

Sam's glare strengthened in intensity, then she stood and stormed off without another word. Tucker gave Danny an unsure look before following after her. Paulina watched the goth leave, finding pleasure in just how jealous she could make the girl feel. It was obvious that Sam really liked Danny.

Obvious to everyone…except the boy himself.

Paulina turned back to Danny. He seemed very apprehensive, not lovesick and self-conscious like he usually was when she approached him. She wondered why he was acting this way.

A somewhat wild thought crossed her mind, but then, perhaps it wasn't so wild.

"You seem nervous, Danny," said Paulina with a small amount of feigned concern. She then changed her tone to a more brazen one. "And I know why."

Danny's whole body tensed. "What?"

"He told you, didn't he?"

"Who told me what?"

"The ghost boy. He told you that I met up with him last night." Paulina studied Danny's face as his expression changed slightly to show embarrassment, but also something that looked like relief. Paulina wasn't sure what it meant, but she continued anyway. "That's what you were talking about with Sam and Tucker, right? He told you that I know all about how you help him out sometimes, give him your parents' inventions to help him fight ghosts, and in exchange, he acts like your wingman."

Danny's face went completely red. She could practically feel his temperature rise, the heat radiating from him.

"Well, am I wrong?" Paulina inched a little closer so that their thighs touched.

Danny shook his head. "No, that's not…"

"You know, Danny, I seem to recall the ghost boy telling me that I should  _totally_  make out with you." Paulina relished just how uncomfortable she was making the boy. "What do you think, Danny? Should I?"

Danny was noticeably flustered. "He didn't…I mean, I didn't tell him to…" He shook his head quickly.

She put her fingers in his hair, just like she had with the ghost boy the previous night. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed, Danny." She could feel him melting, that key moment she knew so well, that moment when she could get any guy to do anything for her.

She knew she didn't need to go any further than this to get him to do what she wanted, to get him to tell her about the ghost boy. She knew that, but…some part of her actually wanted to kiss Danny. He really did look so cute, and she was sure he'd be an enjoyable experience.

She closed her eyes and moved in. To her surprise, she didn't feel Danny move in toward her.

"Paulina, stop."

Paulina opened her eyes to see Danny with a hand up to prevent her from getting closer.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

This confused Paulina. She never had a guy stop her like this before. She tried to amp up her charm in her smile, her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"

Danny studied her. He backed away, enough so that Paulina had to pull her hand away from his hair. "Believe me when I say that I'm not opposed to this," he said with a charming grin of his own, "but we've been at this point before, so forgive me if I'm skeptical. I don't want to be tricked again."

"Again?" Paulina raised a brow.

"Oh, that's right. You were overshadowed," muttered Danny. He chuckled under his breath. "Well, anyway, why don't you just tell me what it is you need from me?" He looked at her kindly. "Really, I don't mind helping you if you just ask. You don't have to try to seduce it from me."

It was now Paulina who turned red. Danny saw right through her ploy, was able to resist her wiles, and yet he wasn't upset at all, was even willing to still help her out despite her underhanded attempt to toy with his emotions.

Danny Fenton was just a genuinely nice guy.

Paulina bit her lip and looked down at her hands. "Well, truthfully…I wanted to ask you about the ghost boy."

Danny did not seem surprised by this. "I figured as much. You've been obsessed with him for awhile now."

"You  _are_  a friend of his, right?" Paulina looked up at him again. "I mean, he was using a thermos that had your last name on it, and he really did say that to me, you know, about how I should make out with you."

Danny rolled his eyes and groaned. "If he really did say that, then I'm sorry. I'm completely mortified that you remember it so well."

Paulina laughed. "It's fine. I'm used to it."

"I'm sure you are." Danny also laughed, but it was a gentle laugh. "I mean, you  _are_  the prettiest girl I've ever seen." His smile quickly disappeared, as if he was afraid that he had said too much. He looked away.

"Aw, well, thank-you. That's so sweet." Paulina beamed at this compliment. She was well aware of her beauty, but it was always nice to hear it confirmed, even from someone unpopular like Danny.

Well…maybe especially from him. He really seemed to mean it, like he wasn't trying to get anything from her.

"But anyway, Danny, do you think you could tell me about the ghost boy?" Her eyes lit up with hope. "Please, can you tell where I can find him? Or at least tell me what kind of girls he's into? Would he ever date a human girl?"

Danny was quiet for a moment. Paulina watched him, could see that he was debating something in his mind. She wished she could know what he was thinking, what he was trying to decide. Finally, he looked back at her, apparently reaching a decision. He stood, a movement that Paulina instantly knew was not in her favor.

"You're right, Paulina. I'm…his friend." He gave her an affable smile, his cheeks still tinged with a bit of pink. "That means I have to keep his secrets."

He then left her alone at the table, his final words echoing in her head.

Secrets? What secrets did Danny Fenton know about Danny Phantom?


	3. The Cryptic Offer

In her room that night, Paulina wasn't sure what she was feeling as she stared out her open window, gloom or frustration or bewilderment. She looked up into the stars, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ghost who had stolen her heart.

All she wanted was to learn more about the ghost boy. Something about him made her feel giddy, happy. She couldn't remember the last time she had a sincere crush like this, not since she started being attractive to every boy she encountered. She had lost herself in all that attention, had started using her looks to her advantage to get what she wanted.

But Danny Phantom…she didn't want to use him, didn't want to deceive him. She just wanted to be in his arms as he flew through the sky, wanted to be there to tend to his injuries after a ghost battle.

But why did she feel this way about someone she barely knew? And about a ghost, no less. Perhaps it was an irrational, wild infatuation, but that didn't make it any less real for her.

But he was so difficult to find, so difficult to keep when she did find him. He was always so busy, so preoccupied, always on the edge of peril. It was as if he had no other life aside from his heroic ghost fighting. At least, Paulina had never seen him do anything other than fight ghosts. Did he have hobbies or interests outside of all that?

After the last thing Danny Fenton had said to her, she was sure that he knew the answer to this, knew the answer to pretty much any question she had about the ghost boy. Shy, neurotic, pathetic Danny Fenton somehow knew the "secrets" of fearless, capable, heroic Danny Phantom.

But it was clear to her that she could never get him to talk about the ghost boy. He was far too loyal of a friend. If only she could get into his head, know what he was thinking, learn what he knew.

"I can help you with that," said an unknown voice from below.

Paulina looked down from her window in confusion. "Who's there?"

Someone climbed up—no,  _floated_ up—so that she was face to face with Paulina. The Latina jumped back as she stared at the girl hovering outside her window. Her skin had a blue tinge, her eyes were bright green, and instead of legs, she had a billowy tail. Her whole body glowed.

"Are you a ghost?" asked Paulina bluntly.

"What gave it away?" The ghost girl laughed. "Mind if I come in?" Without waiting for an answer, she flew into Paulina's room. Her ghostly tail turned into a pair of legs clad in gold pants that matched her top.

"Who are you?" asked Paulina. She wasn't sure if she should be frightened or not, but this ghost did not seem threatening, and even if something bad were to happen, the ghost boy would surely come and save her, and that was worth any ghost encounter.

"I'm Delphine," said the ghost girl, bowing slightly with her arms out. "So, you want to get into Danny Fenton's head, right?"

Paulina creased her brow. "How do you know?"

"I know the desires of people's hearts," said Delphine. "Whether spoken or unspoken, I hear them. What's more, I have the power to grant them."

"So, what? You're God? You answer prayers?"

Delphine laughed with gusto at this. "No, no. I'm definitely a ghost. All ghosts have their powers. Mine is the power to grant people their wishes." She smirked. "But unlike, say, Desiree, I can choose what wishes I want to grant and to what extent."

"Who's Desiree?"

"Not important. Anyway, I have heard your wish, and I have decided to grant it."

"My wish? You mean my wish to be with the ghost boy?" Paulina leaned in at this, her interest piqued.

Delphine shook her head. "No. Well, I mean, that might happen if you make good use of what I do for you, but I'm not going to make it that simple." She looked at Paulina. "If you really want to be with him, you have to be right for him first, and presently, you're not right for him."

Paulina pouted. "I'm sure I'd be perfect for him!"

"Nah, you don't deserve him right now," said Delphine. "But you can get there, I promise."

Paulina felt insulted, but she was determined to become "deserving" of the ghost boy. "How?"

"I'll grant your desire to get into Danny Fenton's head."

Paulina blinked. "What does that mean?"

Delphine grinned. "You'll find out if you accept my offer!"

Paulina stared at the ghost girl, not sure if it was a good idea to trust her or not. On one hand, it seemed oddly convenient that Delphine just showed up out of nowhere and offered to help her out, but on the other, she really did want to know what Danny Fenton knew about the ghost boy.

"I promise that if you let me do this for you, you will discover exactly what you want about Danny Phantom," said Delphine. "And then, you can finally be right for him."

Paulina thought for only a moment more. "Okay. I accept."

Delphine nodded emphatically. "Great. The change will take place while you're sleeping. You won't feel a thing."

This made Paulina uneasy. "What exactly are you going to do?"

"Don't worry. You can change back at any time. All you have to do is wish for it." Delphine headed out the window, but she turned before leaving. "Just a disclaimer now: you're in for quite a shock."

Paulina grimaced. "Are you sure I can trust you?"

Delphine only laughed as she flew away. Paulina stood still for a moment, wondering if she had hallucinated the whole event.


	4. She's a Fenton

 

The lighting was different. That was the first thing Paulina noticed.

She opened her eyes, confused by how much darker her room seemed to be. She turned over and realized why. Her window was no longer facing her bed, so the light coming in through the blinds was not hitting her like it usually did.

Wait…

She bolted upright in her bed and wildly looked around. This was  _not_  her room. Where was she?

She observed the space posters on the wall, the basketball hoop above the closed door, the model plane hanging from the ceiling, the ball cap on one of the dressers. It looked like…a boy's room.

Why was she in a boy's room? How did she get here?

She looked down at herself. The pale pajamas she was wearing were certainly not her own although they did seem to fit her perfectly. She clutched the soft fabric. Who had dressed her in this? She looked herself over, checking for marks or bruises. She seemed fine, in-tact.

She got out of the strange bed and looked out the window. It was not her normal view, but she recognized this part of town. She was definitely still in Amity Park, but she couldn't remember why this area was familiar to her. When had she been here before?

"Danny! Are you up, sweetie?"

Paulina turned her head to look at the door leading into the room. A woman's voice was calling from the other side of it.

"Danny?" The doorknob started turning.

Paulina ran to the door and locked it. She made a low noise, hoping it sounded enough like a boy's disgruntled groan.

"Okay, okay. I won't bother you," said the woman's voice with a small laugh. "I know you're not a morning person. Anyway, I'm making pancakes this morning, so hurry and get dressed!"

Paulina heard the woman walk away. She flipped the light switch by the door and looked at the lighted room. The woman had called for "Danny." Was this Danny's room? As in Danny Fenton?

She walked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings. She halted when she caught a glimpse of another person in the room.

"Danny!" she gasped.

No, wait…Danny wasn't here.

Paulina approached the only mirror in the room and stared at a just as shocked and confused Danny Fenton. She moved her arms, watching the Danny reflection move in the same manner. She looked down at herself. She definitely still had her own body, all of her curves and her long dark hair. She looked back up at her reflection and ran her fingers through her hair. She watched Danny make the same motion with his own hand, but his fingers were wrapped in nothing but air.

What was going on?

_I'll grant your desire to get into Danny Fenton's head._

Delphine's words came back to her. She had actually almost convinced herself that the encounter was just her imagination or a weird fantasy the night before, but now, she was sure that it had indeed happened after all.

She looked down at herself again, then her reflection. She still felt and looked like herself, but in the mirror, it was definitely Danny gazing back at her. Had Delphine switched her with Danny? But then why did she still have her own body? She combed her fingers through her hair again, ran her hands down her chest and hips. She looked back in the mirror and shrugged. Truthfully, she wasn't about to complain. She would not have wanted to deal with a boy's body anyway.

A boy's body…and not just any boy's body, but Danny Fenton's…

Sure, he was an unpopular oddity, but she had thought from the moment she met him that he was awfully cute. She stared at the Danny in the mirror, noting how toned his arms were. Did he always have this much muscle? She couldn't remember. He was definitely still a boy, and a small boy at that, but he was showing signs of maturity that she was only just now noticing.

She lifted her pajama shirt, watching Danny lift his as well.

"Wow, I didn't know Danny worked out," she muttered to herself, observing the faint outline of the beginning of a good-looking abdomen. She started lifting the shirt more before stopping herself with a slight blush and turning away from the mirror, deciding she wasn't quite ready to see more of Danny just yet. One thing at a time.

She looked around the room again. Delphine put her here to find out more about Danny Phantom, and that was what she was going to do. There was a computer, books…surely, there was something in here she could look through that would give her information.

"Danny! Hurry and get dressed!" that same womanly voice called, but it was farther away this time, not outside the door like before.

Paulina sighed. If she was going to pull this off, she was going to have to wait until she wouldn't be bothered, perhaps later that night. Right now, she had to be Danny, and Danny had to go to school.

She walked to one of Danny's dressers and looked through the clothes in his drawers. She grimaced, not wanting to put Danny's clothes on her beautifully feminine body. She held up a pair of jeans. Sure, Danny was small, but he was still bigger than her, and there was no way these were going to fit.

But what choice did she have?

She took off the pajamas she was wearing then pulled the jeans over her thighs and hips, but to her surprise, the jeans fit her perfectly. She fastened the button and stared down at them. They wrapped around her legs and fit around her hips. Why, they fit so well they were  _flattering_.

She walked to the mirror, fully impressed by the now shirtless Danny she saw. The jeans she wore looked just as they always did on the reflection of Danny. She pulled a shirt out of Danny's closet and brought it back to the mirror. She watched Danny put it on. The white and red shirt fit him as it normally did, but on her, it tightened to fit her build. She marveled at this for only a second before shrugging. Again, she wasn't about to complain.

She looked down at her clothes, finding it a little humorous to not only be dressed in Danny's color scheme but to also already be done getting ready. If she really was Danny, and if everyone really saw her as Danny like in her reflection, then she didn't even need to do her make-up.

At last, she left Danny's room and went downstairs. She paused when she head voices coming from the kitchen. Would they really see her as Danny? She began to have doubts. She took a deep breath and finally entered the kitchen.

"Danny! There you are!" said a large man in an orange jumpsuit, a man she knew was Jack Fenton, Danny's father. "I was just about to eat your flapjacks!"

Paulina smiled and took one of the empty chairs at the table. "Well, thanks for…not eating them," she said awkwardly, not sure if this was something Danny would say or not.

Danny's red-haired sister, Jazz Fenton, sat across from her. She gave her a fond smile. "I stopped him, but it wasn't easy!" Paulina had seen the girl a few times in the hall, but she had never actually interacted with her.

Danny's mother, Maddie Fenton, clad in a teal jumpsuit, gave her a quick kiss on the head. "Good morning, sweetie." She took the last chair. "It's so nice to eat breakfast as a family."

Paulina watched Danny's family eat and chat with each other. None of them had mentioned that she was not actually a Caucasian boy but a Latina girl, so that could only mean…

"Danny! Eat up!" Maddie commanded with a motherly tone. "A growing boy like you needs nourishment!"

"And nothing is more nourishing than pancakes," said Jazz with a small amount of sarcasm.

"I'll say!" agreed Jack enthusiastically, practically inhaling his pancakes.

Paulina looked down at her body again, her tiny waist, her wide hips, her perky breasts. No one could ever possibly mistake her for "a growing boy." Clearly, the Fentons were seeing her as she saw her reflection, as their son and brother, Danny.

Well, it looked like Danny had finally gotten his wish. She was officially a Fenton.


	5. He's an A-Lister

Paulina picked up a forkful of the starchy cake soaked with syrup and put it in her mouth, thoroughly enjoying the taste. She had put herself on a diet long ago in order to maintain her figure and clear complexion, but if she really was Danny, then she didn't have to worry about any of that, right? She could eat whatever she wanted.

"This is fantastic, Mrs. F—I mean…Mom." Paulina grinned at Maddie.

"Well, thanks, sweetie!" Maddie beamed back at her.

Paulina happily ate the rest of the pancakes, savoring the sweet flavor.

"Come on, little brother," said Jazz, standing. "I'll drive you to school today."

Paulina looked up at her, her mouth still full of pancakes. She normally took the bus with Star and Dash, but it would be nice to ride in a car instead. She swallowed her bite and followed Jazz outside, grabbing Danny's backpack along the way.

"Ooh, cute car!" Paulina girlishly squealed as she climbed into Jazz's red convertible. "Ooh, and is that a Sayonara Pussycat antenna topper? Where'd you get it?"

Jazz looked at her warily from the driver's seat, her mouth slightly open in dumbfounded uncertainty.

Paulina stiffened. "Uh…I mean…cool. Cool car." She coughed. "And as a guy, I certainly have no interest at all in…cartoon cats."

Jazz studied her for a moment. Paulina only gave her an awkward smile.

Jazz blinked and slowly moved her eyes forward. "Seatbelt," was all she said.

Paulina pulled the seatbelt over her shoulder and across her lap. She looked at Danny's reflection in the side view mirror.  _I have to remember that I'm Danny now. Danny!_  she scolded herself.

Jazz pulled up to a house. Paulina looked around in confusion, wondering why they had stopped here, but she didn't dare ask, afraid that she would only make Jazz more suspicious.

"Aren't you going to get out, Danny?" asked Jazz.

Paulina turned to look at her, then back at the house. It became apparent to her that they were probably here to pick someone up. She got out of the car and approached the front door of the house. She rang the doorbell and waited.

Tucker Foley opened the door. "Hey, Danny." He looked behind him at Jazz. "Man, I love how nice your sister has been lately." He closed the door behind him and started walking toward Jazz's car. Paulina followed him, slightly disgusted. She remembered that the techno geek was one of Danny's best friends which meant that she would have to hang out with him, would have to pretend to really like him.

She got into the front seat while Tucker sat in the back. Jazz began to drive while Tucker began blabbering about some sort of new computer game or some other tech nonsense that Paulina didn't care about.

A thought occurred to her. Danny had two best friends, and if they were picking up Tucker, then did that mean they were also going to pick up…?

Jazz stopped in front of another house. Tucker got out, and Paulina followed him. She hoped against all hope that this house did not belong to Danny's other best friend. Please, please, not her.

Tucker rang the doorbell. To Paulina's utter chagrin, the girl she despised most in all of Casper High opened the door.

"Hey, Danny. Hey, Tucker." Sam Manson greeted them happily. Paulina frowned at her tone. She was not used to hearing Sam sound so cheery.

She then remembered that she was now Sam's crush. Of course Sam would be over the moon to see her.

"Hey, Sam!" said Tucker. "Ready to go?"

"I'm always ready to get out of this house," said Sam. She started walking with the two back to Jazz's car. "You okay, Danny?" she asked with concern.

Paulina blinked and looked at her. "Hmm?"

"You just haven't said anything yet," said Sam. "Another long night?"

Paulina wasn't sure what she meant by "another long night." She forced a smile. "Uh, no…I mean, I'm fine."

Sam's bottom lip stuck out a little as she looked at Paulina. "You sure?"

"Of course!" said Paulina with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. "It's just morning. You know I'm not a morning person."

Sam groaned in agreement as the three of them climbed into the car. "Me neither, but that doesn't stop my parents from opening my curtains wide open almost every morning. I keep telling them I don't need them to wake me, but do they listen?"

Sam then began a rant about her parents, but Paulina didn't pay much attention as she tried to assess the situation. Everyone saw her as Danny. Everyone called her Danny. But she was definitely still Paulina. Delphine had not magically given her any of Danny's thoughts or understandings. She was going to have to blindly try to be the boy.

And worse, she was going to have to not only hang out with two of the biggest losers in the school but pretend that she actually liked them, too. She could possibly put up with Tucker, but Sam…it was going to be hard to pretend to like Sam.

Jazz pulled up to Casper High, and the three freshmen hopped out. Jazz then drove away to the student parking lot.

"You must really be tired, Danny. You're usually a lot more talkative even if it is morning!" said Sam, placing a hand on Paulina's shoulder. The act of familiarity from her felt strange to Paulina. Sam and Tucker…they were her best friends now.

"Yeah, were you out late last night?" asked Tucker. "You know you can always call us if you need help."

Paulina had no idea what the techno geek was talking about, but she didn't want to raise suspicion. "Right, sure. I can always count on you two!"  _Count on them for what, exactly?_ she asked herself.

The three teens walked into the school. Paulina watched the students as they made their way through the halls. She was used to turning heads, but now, no one noticed as she walked by. She caught her reflection in a glass display case. She saw Danny's form in her place.

A thought struck her. If she had traded places with Danny, then did that mean that Danny was now in her place? She looked around for Star, Dash, or any other popular kids, wondering if Danny would be with them.

"Are you looking for someone, Danny?" asked Sam. She and Tucker had come to a halt.

Paulina refocused her attention on the two.

"Let me guess. You're looking for Paulina, right?" Tucker smirked. "I thought you had finally gotten over her when you started going out with Valerie, but you've been talking about her a lot these past couple days."

"I have?" Paulina mentally scolded herself for the question. "I mean, uh…why wouldn't I? She  _is_ the prettiest girl in school." There was no harm in complimenting herself, right? After all, she already knew it was something Danny believed.

"Oh, yeah," said Sam dully. "Because looks are most important, right?"

Paulina could see jealousy and irritation in Sam's expression, and she absolutely loved it. She considered digging in this wound more, knowing that she could really screw with Sam's head in this position, but she knew that that was out of line if she wanted to pull off being Danny. Danny was far too nice, far too sincere, far too sweet. She decided to change the subject instead. "Why did we stop?"

"This is your locker," said Sam with a gesture. "You want to put your bag away, don't you?"

Paulina stared at the locker.

"Danny?" Tucker waved a hand in front of her face.

"He's been zoning out like this a lot," Sam observed in an aside to Tucker.

"I'm fine," said Paulina. "It's just…um…I can't remember the combination." She laughed nervously. "I guess you two were right. I'm just so tired this morning. I can't think straight."

Sam laughed as well, but it was a friendly laugh. "Well, considering you haven't used your combination in, like, forever, I can see how you would've forgotten it."

Paulina blinked in confusion at this. Danny's locker clearly had a combination lock, so what did Sam mean that he hadn't used it in forever?

"Just phase through," said Tucker, as if this solution was obvious. "It's what you usually do."

Paulina tried to interpret Tucker's words, but they made no sense to her. She looked back at Danny's locker, then straightened Danny's bag on her shoulders. "Actually, I think I'll just keep it with me today."

Sam and Tucker exchanged looks. "Are you sure you're okay?" asked Sam.

Paulina nodded. Sam and Tucker then turned to their own lockers, and Paulina took the opportunity to glance down the hall where she knew her own locker was. She could see that her locker door was open, but it was hiding whoever was looking in it. All she could see was a pair of legs dressed in light blue jeans. Star was talking to this person.

Could it be…?

A hand closed her locker, allowing whoever was using it to be in full view.

Danny Fenton.

Paulina stared at him as he conversed with Star. He looked just as he always did, his thick black hair hanging over his bright blue eyes, the toned body she had earlier admired in his mirror. The only noticeable difference was that he was not wearing his normal clothes. They were still masculine and a little baggy as usual, but they carried the colors she herself usually wore: a pink shirt, light blue jeans, and white shoes. The only things missing were pink barrettes.

Danny's eyes fell on her from across the hall. Paulina immediately jerked her head and turned away, panic filling her. Was he aware of the switch?

He was walking over now. Paulina could see him out of the corner of her eye,  _feel_  it even. He definitely knew. Definitely. He was surely going to say something about it to her now.

"Danny, why so shy?"

Paulina slowly turned to look at Danny. It was odd to hear him say his own name in that way.

"Oh, no reason…Paulina." It felt even weirder to call him her own name.

Danny clutched his books, his eyes slightly narrowed, his mouth curled in an alluring smile, an expression Paulina had never seen on him before. It appeared that he was not aware of the switch at all. He would never be able to pull off her signature sultry look so well if he was. Paulina glanced at the glass display case nearby. In it, she could see vague reflections. Her own reflection looked like Danny, and Danny's reflection looked like herself, Paulina.

It was clear to her now that just as everyone saw her as Danny, everyone also saw Danny as Paulina.

"Can we help you, Paulina?" asked Sam with a frown, obviously not in the slightest bit interested in helping Danny with anything.

Paulina almost responded to this question but managed to stop herself.  _This is going to be really confusing_ , she moaned inwardly.

"Yeah, Paulina. Anything you need!" Tucker said enthusiastically with a slight wiggle of his eyebrows. Sam roughly elbowed him. Paulina suppressed a giggle at the thought of Tucker hitting on Danny.

Danny chuckled. "Oh, no. I don't ever need anything from you two." He ran a hand along the top of Paulina's head. "Danny here is all I ever need." He gazed at her seductively before quickly departing.

Paulina stared after him, seeing heads turn as he walked. He had teased her in the way she often liked to tease him, but it felt surreal to be on the receiving end of it. Truthfully, she didn't like it. It was rather debasing.  _Is this how I make him feel?_  she asked herself.

The bell rang. Paulina followed Sam and Tucker to their first class, whatever it was. She figured she would find out when they got there.

"I really don't know what you see in her, Danny," said Sam, her arms crossed. "She always treats you like this, and yet you're still into her."

Paulina looked at Sam. She knew that Sam was Danny's best friend, but she certainly wasn't _her_  best friend, and right now, she didn't think she could resist making just one dig. "Well, with how unbelievably sexy Paulina is, she can treat me however she wants."

As she turned away, she caught a glimpse of Sam's jaw dropping. She stifled a snort of laughter.


	6. Unknown Expectations

There were so many unfamiliar experiences. No one to hold open doors for her. No one to offer to carry her books. No one to charm into doing anything with just a bat of her eye.

Paulina slouched in her seat and threw her head back with a groan. Being a boy  _suuuuuuuuuuucked_.

But as Paulina sat in Danny's seats in all of Danny's classes, she realized that there was something even worse than being a boy, and that was being at the bottom of the social ladder. Many of these classes were ones she took as well, and some of the classes were even ones she shared with Danny, but while they were familiar in setting, they were alien in atmosphere. The way her classmates seemed to regard her and the way certain teachers treated her were unnerving at times. She was used to male students fawning over her, to female students either shooting her looks of jealousy or admiration, and to teachers letting her get away with just about anything. She had always known she was privileged as the beautiful daughter of wealthy parents, but she had never known what it was like to be considered a loser.

The popular students kept whispering behind her back, sometimes "accidentally" tripping her, calling her terrible names. The teachers seemed uninterested in her or else they seemed to call on her just to humiliate her, observing that she wasn't really paying attention. She usually did not pay attention, but she never had a teacher call her out on it before. She had always laughed along with the other students when Danny was picked on in this matter, but it definitely did not feel good to be in his position now.

In Lancer's English class, Danny sat a few desks behind her. She tried her hardest not to look back at him, did not want to give him yet another reason to tease her. Throughout the day, anytime he caught her staring or even just glancing at him, he had made a point to taunt her for it. She knew why, of course. She herself loved making Danny uncomfortable, loved watching his pretty face glow red, but now that she  _was_  Danny, she did not want to experience it.

She faced forward, her hands clasped together and shaking slightly as she waited for the bell to ring. This was the final class of the day, and she could not wait to get back to Danny's room for some investigation.

"Danny, you okay?" asked Tucker. He was sitting next to her.

"I'm fine. Why do you keep asking me that?" Paulina tried to give him her most convincing smile.

"It's just that you've been really off today," said Tucker, "and you're shaking."

"Yeah, you are," said Sam, who was sitting behind her. She lowered her voice. "Seriously, what's going on with you today?"

Danny's friends seemed genuinely concerned, their eyes studying her. Her own friends never showed such concern for her. Any time she had been ill with either physical or mental maladies, none of her popular friends ever said anything or even seemed to really notice.

Sam leaned in closer. "If there's something we can help you with, let us know. We know how much you go through, so don't think you have to go through it alone."

Paulina wished she understood what Sam was talking about. What exactly did Danny have to go through that was more than what any other student at Casper High had going on?

"I know. Thanks, you guys." Paulina was not sure what else to say since she knew she couldn't ask for clarification without raising more concern. They were right, though: she was shaking, her nerves frazzled from the unkind treatment she had been experiencing all day. It felt as if everyone was just waiting for her to do something stupid, clumsy, embarrassing. She longed to check her make-up in a pocket mirror. Observing her flawless features and fixing her make-up throughout the day was always soothing for her, but she couldn't do that now, not as Danny. Not only was it definitely not something that Danny would do (and she was sure there was no pocket mirror in his bag), but she wouldn't even be able to see her own reflection.

The bell rang at last, and Lancer called the class to attention. He looked over his class list and took role, glancing up every now and then to see who was present. When he looked at Paulina, he pinned her with a glare.

"How good of you to be on time today, Mr. Fenton," he said snidely before looking back down at his list.

Paulina looked away. She could hear Dash's distinct sniggering behind her.

Lancer began his lecture. Paulina did her best to be attentive, not wanting to give him any reason to pick on her, fully aware that of all of their teachers, Danny seemed to have the worst relationship with their English teacher. She tried to take notes, tried to do anything that would keep her busy, keep her mind off of what others thought of Danny, what others now thought of  _her_. She fidgeted with her pen, twiddling it between her fingers.

The pen fell out of her fingers and clattered to the desk.

Paulina blinked and stared at the pen for a second. She was not sure how it had happened. The pen just seemed to slip out of her fingers. No, not slipped out…slipped _through_.

No, that was crazy. She picked up the pen and returned to taking notes, but it quickly fell out of her fingers again.

No, not fell out. It definitely fell  _through_  her fingers.

Paulina stared at her fingers. They looked fine. She picked up the pen again and studied it. After just a few seconds, she once again lost hold of the pen, and it fell to the desk with a small clank.

What was going on?

She tried to lift the pen several more times, but it fell through her hand each time. Over and over, she tried to pick it up, but she just couldn't seem to keep a grasp on it.

"Mr. Fenton, will you please stop playing with your pen?" Lancer sounded very irritated.

Paulina looked up at Lancer, her neck and face growing hot. She could hear snickers around her. She looked back down at her pen but did not try to pick it up again.

Lancer resumed his lesson. Next to her, Tucker silently mouthed a question to her:  _What's up?_  Paulina only shook her head.

She breathed deeply. Clearly, she was letting this unfamiliar feeling of being a loser get to her, and it was making her see things, was robbing her of so much confidence that she couldn't even hang onto a stupid pen. Elbows on her desk, her hands clasped, she tried to focus on Lancer's lesson. Another strange feeling started to grip her, a tingly one. She had no idea what it was, only that it felt very…physical.

In less than a second, Paulina felt herself hit the floor. Startled, she looked up and saw that she was somehow under her chair.

The class burst into laughter.

"Mr. Fenton!" Lancer walked up to her. He looked very agitated now. "Why do you keep insisting on interrupting my class today?"

More snickers. Paulina reddened and climbed back into her seat. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Lancer. I'm just…I'm not really myself today…" She wasn't sure what to say. She knew that Lancer was not a sympathetic man.

"See me after class. We'll talk about it then," said Lancer flatly. He returned to the front of the room amidst low jeers from the other students.

Paulina sank low in her chair. She had always known that Lancer seemed to have it out for Danny, but she had found it humorous in the past. It certainly wasn't funny to her now.

She could sense that Sam and Tucker were making silent exchanges about her behind her back, but she paid them no heed. She just wanted to get through the rest of this class with no further incidents.

Something shook her, a deep chill that sent shivers through her. She gasped, her breath clearly visible. It couldn't have been that cold, though. Was she just imagining things again?

Screams could be heard outside the classroom. Lancer turned his head toward the door, then walked over and opened it. The screams grew louder, some shouting "Ghost!"

"Not another ghost attack," muttered Lancer as he went to his desk to alert someone to help them. Ghost attacks had become so common in the school that Mr. Lancer seemed more irritated by them than scared.

This was not, however, the case for the students.

"Ghosts?" some shrieked, panicked. Some jumped up, some crouched under their desks, others ran out of the room to either escape or see the ghost for themselves.

"Yes, a ghost attack!" Danny joyfully exclaimed. Paulina understood why: she herself was always excited when a ghost attack occurred because that meant that Danny Phantom would likely come and rescue them.

Wait, if Danny Phantom appeared…he would see her as Danny Fenton, and then perhaps he'd be willing to answer any of her questions! That was the whole point of this switch, after all.

"Danny, what are you still doing here?" asked Sam harshly. She was standing next to him now.

"Yeah, get out there already!" ordered Tucker urgently, pulling her to her feet.

Paulina looked from one friend to the other, once again not sure what she was supposed to do.

Sam exhaled loudly. She reached into Danny's bag and pulled out a device, quickly putting it into Paulina's hands. "Come on, let's go!" She grabbed Paulina's arm and dragged her out of the room, Tucker following behind them.

Paulina allowed herself to be pulled. She looked down at the device in her hands and instantly recognized it as the Fenton Thermos. Was she supposed to give this to the ghost boy when he arrived? Is that what Danny Fenton usually did for the ghost boy?

Paulina felt completely confused, but she was also excited. Surely, this meant that she would definitely interact with the ghost boy soon!

Out in the hall, there was no sign of a ghost, but the screams were definitely louder and seemed to be coming from one of the classrooms. Sam led the way, pushing past frightened students. Paulina ran after her, somewhat impressed with her courage. It appeared that Sam was used to this. Was she also a friend of the ghost boy, then?

Sam ran into one of the classrooms, Paulina and Tucker right behind her. In the center of the classroom was a large green blob, a shape that Paulina could not make much sense of. All she could see was a pair of a glowing red eyes. The ghost had a group of students trapped in a corner. They huddled together, obviously terrified.

"Just a generic ghost." Sam nodded and looked back at Paulina. She creased her brow. "Danny, what are you doing?"

"Uh…same as what you're doing?" Paulina offered weakly.

Sam turned to her fully. "Get going already! We'll cover for you." Sam held up some sort of device that was not a Thermos, but Paulina had no idea what it was. It looked like a weapon.

"Yeah, we got this," said Tucker confidently.

Paulina could feel sweat forming on her brow. "Um…what exactly do you want me to do?"

Sam and Tucker exchanged bewildered glances. Sam then approached Paulina, throwing up her hands. "Hello? We could really use Danny Phantom right now!"

Paulina blinked. Was Danny Fenton usually the one who alerted the ghost boy about ghost attacks? Did the ghost boy have a cell phone number or something?

"Danny, we don't have time for this!" Sam pushed her out the door. "Go ghost already!"

Go ghost? Was that some kind of code for calling the ghost boy? Paulina wondered if she could find something in Danny's cell phone which she had left in his bag back in Lancer's classroom.

She started to head back to the classroom when she heard another voice call her. "Danny? Get back!"

Paulina turned to see Danny's parents, Jack and Maddie, run up to her, their goggles concealing their eyes.

"We'll take it from here, sweetie," said Maddie, putting a hand on her shoulder. The older woman then took the Fenton Thermos from her hands. "What are you doing with this?"

"Trying to be a ghost hunter, too, eh?" Jack beamed with pride.

"That's wonderful! But really, we'll handle this." Maddie rushed into the room and threw out Sam and Tucker. Jack ran after her, ghost hunting weapons ready and whirring. In the classroom, shouts and crashes could be heard.

Sam and Tucker both turned to Paulina. Paulina winced at their obviously befuddled expressions. She had clearly not been doing a job of pretending to be Danny.

"What is with him today?" Tucker muttered to Sam.

"I have no idea," Sam whispered back.

Paulina narrowed her eyes. "I'm right here, you know."

Sam put a hand on her shoulder, her violet eyes filled with concern. "Are you just tired, Danny? You need a break or something?" She looked back at the classroom. "At least your parents are competent ghost fighters themselves." She paused. "Well, your mom is, anyway."

Danny's two friends began to lead her away from the classroom. She could hear Sam and Tucker continue to try to talk to her, but she was not sure how to answer them. What did they expect from her? What did they expect from  _Danny_?

_We know how much you go through._

Sam's words from earlier entered her mind.

What was it that Danny had to go through?


	7. Who Lives Behind the Mask?

After the commotion of the ghost attack had been resolved by the Fentons, the school resumed order quickly. Ghost attacks had become a normal occurrence, so students and teachers alike were typically able to bounce back quickly. When the final bell rang at last, Paulina followed Sam and Tucker to their lockers, dreading the further questions they were bound to ask about her odd behavior.

"Clearly, something has got you rattled," said Tucker, eyeing her closely.

"You might actually benefit from some psychoanalysis from Jazz," said Sam with a small smirk. She then became serious again. "I mean, really, what happened in class...I can't even remember the last time that happened."

"Although it  _was_ kind of funny when you fell through your chair," said Tucker with a small laugh.

"Don't make him feel any worse!" said Sam sharply.

Tucker had said fell  _through_ , not out of…so Tucker and Sam both knew that was what had happened? Paulina looked down at her hands, remembering how her pen kept falling through her fingers.

Was that somehow not unusual for Danny?

"You better get going, Danny," said Sam.

Paulina looked up at her. "Go where?"

"Lancer's, remember?" said Tucker. "You don't want to make him any crabbier than he already is."

"Oh, right," said Paulina. Truthfully, she was grateful for an opportunity to get away from Danny's friends. She needed some time to think, to figure all of this out.

Sam put a hand on her shoulder. "Let us know if you need anything." She smiled. "And really,  _anything_. Don't be afraid to ask. We're here to help you. We  _want_  to help you."

Sam and Tucker both waved and walked away, leaving her alone to walk to Mr. Lancer's classroom. As she walked, she contemplated on what had happened, what had been said.

The pen kept falling through her fingers, as if her fingers weren't even there at all.

Sam had told to her to "go ghost."

Tucker had told her to phase through her locker instead of opening it normally.

They both seemed concerned about her possibly being tired, overwhelmed, and overworked.

Ahead, Paulina could see Danny talking to Star and Dash. He truly was a strange one with so many secrets, stranger and more secretive than she had thought.

Dash caught her staring at Danny and laughed. "Give it up, Fentorade. You don't have a chance with her."

Danny turned to look at Paulina, his expression as flirtatious as ever. "Can you really blame him, Dash?"

A look of arrogance, possession, shrewdness. How misplaced it looked on Danny's normally sweet, innocent visage.

Paulina quickly ducked into Lancer's classroom, not wanting to see Danny look at her like that anymore.

"Take a seat, Mr. Fenton," said Lancer in his usual drawl from behind his desk. "And close the door behind you."

Paulina did as she was instructed and took the seat that Lancer indicated to her, one right in front of his desk. He studied her for a second. Paulina stared back at him, not sure if she was supposed to say something or just wait for him to speak.

"Mr. Fenton…Danny."

Paulina took note of the change in Lancer's tone, a more concerned one.

"I feel like we've been in this exact position countless times," said Lancer, his eyes looking slightly tired. "And yet, every time, you seem to get more distant."

Paulina's mouth opened slightly. She had no idea what Lancer was going to say before she sat down, but this definitely was not what she was expecting.

"On the first day of school, when I first met you, you seemed happy, fine…normal, for lack of a better word." Lancer chuckled. "Maybe a little lacking in self-esteem with a strong desire to climb the social ladder here at the school, but that's something anyone would consider normal for a teenager. You were a good student in the beginning, on time, inquisitive, put in your best effort. You grades weren't phenomenal, and you certainly weren't anything like your sister, but you at least tried in your own way." He paused. "But somewhere along the way, something definitely changed in your life. Now, you're often tardy, you don't turn in your homework, your grades have slipped lower than ever…and you often seem exhausted, or sometimes you're fidgety, anxious." He paused again. "Like today."

Paulina could sense that she was supposed to reply, but she had no idea what to say. She herself had noticed Danny's strange behavior, but she had always just written it off as part of his "loser" personality.

Lancer seemed to mistake her silence for either defeat or defiance and sighed. "Danny, I know it might feel like I'm really hard on you at times, but I just know that you can do better, that the good student I saw at the beginning of the year is still there somewhere."

Lancer stood and walked to the front of his desk so that he was directly in front of Paulina. Paulina instinctively leaned back, not liking how close he suddenly was.

"I know we've never been on the best terms," Lancer said quietly, "but you can talk to me, Danny. I'm your teacher, and I do want to help you. I don't want to see you fail." He looked at her for a moment. "I know you always insist that everything is fine, but I know that there's something very serious going on in your life, something more than just depression or some other mental disorder."

_I do want to help you._

_We're here to help you._

_We_ want _to help you_

Sam, Tucker, and now Lancer all seemed to sense that Danny needed help with something, but what were they all talking about?

Paulina decided to take a chance, anything to get a clue. "Mr. Lancer…what do  _you_  think might be going on in my life? I mean, if you're so sure that something is."

Lancer blinked, seemingly surprised by her response. "I really don't know, Danny. I have had many, many students throughout my teaching career, but you are by far the most puzzling."

"What makes me so puzzling to you?" asked Paulina.

"Because your behavior and background are not consistent with anything I've seen before," replied Lancer. "Your home life seems fine, ideal even. You show no physical signs of substance abuse. Your manner of dress or grooming hasn't changed. You still treat adults and others with respect." He sighed. "I've tried getting your parents involved, but they're convinced you're fine, that you're not hiding anything." He looked down at her solemnly. "But you are, aren't you, Danny?"

Paulina made no reply.

"If it's not domestic troubles, drugs, or gang-related activity…then what is it, Danny?"

Paulina stared back at Lancer in continued silence, unable to speak even if she wanted to.

There was a knock at the door. Lancer turned toward it in mild surprise. "Yes?"

Danny's sister, Jazz, tentatively opened the door. "Hi, Mr. Lancer. I just wanted to say something to Danny?" When Lancer nodded, Jazz continued. "Danny, I'll be studying in the library, so don't fly off after you're done here, okay? Let me take you home."

There was something strange about the way Jazz said "fly off," but Paulina was not sure how to interpret it. "Okay. Thanks."

Jazz smiled before closing the door. Lancer moved behind his desk, pulled out some papers from a filing cabinet, then dropped them onto Paulina's desk.

"What's this?" she asked.

"You don't want to fail my class, do you?" The normal monotone had returned in Lancer's tone. "Complete this now, and I'll raise your grade."

Paulina looked through the stack of papers, not at all excited. "Um…could I maybe do this another time?"  _Like maybe when I'm no longer Danny_ , she thought to herself.

Lancer shook his head. "No. Do it now. I'll be right here if you need help." He returned to his desk and sat down to complete work of his own.

Defeated, Paulina took the first sheet of paper and looked it over. Boring English homework asking about underlying themes and literary devices. She tried to work as quickly as possible, but there was just so much else to think about.

Lancer had mentioned that he had talked to Danny like this several times before. Clearly, Danny was struggling with something.

And whatever that something was, Sam and Tucker knew about it.

She tried to push it out of her head. She wasn't here to learn more about Danny Fenton. She wanted only to learn more about Danny Phantom. What did it matter to her what Danny Fenton was going through? Whatever it was, she couldn't trouble herself with it. She had her own concerns as Paulina to worry about. Let his friends deal with it. She only cared about the ghost boy.

But as she continued on the extra work Lancer had given her, she couldn't stop thinking about the kind-hearted blue-eyed boy who seemed to be going through something very rough indeed.


	8. Edges of the Puzzle

At long last, Paulina finished the extra work Lancer had given her. Somewhat drained but still filled with curiosity, she sat in the front seat of Jazz's car, wanting to get back to Danny's room so she could finally search it for clues.

But like Sam and Tucker, Jazz seemed to notice that her "little brother" was not quite himself.

"How was it with Lancer?" she asked kindly.

"Fine," replied Paulina, not sure if she should say more or not. She wondered what kind of relationship Danny had with his sister. Should she be open with Jazz? Terse? She seemed to recall Danny yelling at Jazz at school once, claiming she was overbearing and had no respect for his privacy. Did he still think that?

"What did you two talk about?" Jazz's tone was motherly, as if she was keen to give advice, not just listen.

"Just…stuff," said Paulina. "He gave me some extra work to do so I can pass his class."

"That was nice of him."

"Yeah. Real nice." Paulina shrugged.

Jazz was quiet for a moment. "So…Sam and Tucker told me what happened during his class, and then what happened during the ghost attack."

Paulina gazed at her, but Jazz's eyes remained forward as she drove. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. Is there something you want to talk about, Danny?" When Paulina did not reply, Jazz continued. "I've noticed since this morning that you've been kind of weird." She chuckled. "Ever since you called my car 'cute.'"

Paulina rubbed the back of her neck, wondering what Danny would say. "I'm just…going through a lot."

"I know," said Jazz seriously. "We all know that."

Paulina did not reply. Pulling off this switch was definitely no easy task. There was simply too much about Danny that she didn't know, and it was getting exhausting trying to pretend she knew what everyone was talking about.

"But there's something else going on, isn't there?"

Yes, yes, there was. What was going on was that she was not really Danny, but she couldn't possibly explain that.

"Danny, you can talk to me now, you know."

Paulina remained quiet.

"You know that, right?"

"Yes," said Paulina quietly but firmly. "I know that. You don't all need to keep reminding me of that. I get it."

Jazz seemed slightly perturbed by her response. "But you don't want to talk to me. Is that it?"

"That is precisely it. I'll be fine."  _Just until I switch back, then Danny will be back to his old self_ , thought Paulina.

Jazz sighed. "Danny, I really just want to—"

"I know," snapped Paulina. "I know, you just want to help me. That's what I've been hearing all day." She rolled her eyes. It was getting old hearing how much everyone was concerned about Danny. Concerned about what? At this point, it was actually irritating to keep hearing that Danny was "going through" something beyond what was normal for a teenage boy. What made him so special, anyway? "Everyone wants to help me because, apparently, I can't handle on my own whatever is going on in my life right now."

Jazz pouted slightly, obviously hurt. "I didn't mean it that way, Danny. I don't think you're incapable of handling it on your own. I just…worry about you." She paused. "We all do."

Paulina sighed. "I know. I see that." She forced a smile. "And I do appreciate it. But really, I'll be just fine."

Jazz nodded in understanding and did not try to continue the conversation. When they arrived at the Fenton house, Paulina quickly ran upstairs to Danny's room claiming she had a ton of homework, wanting to start her investigation so that she could switch back to herself as soon as possible. Being Danny was quite the taxing experience.

Once in Danny's room, she shut and locked his door, breathing deeply. Finally, she was alone. She could just be herself.

But where to start?

She sat down at Danny's computer and looked at his desktop items. Games, programs, space simulators, folders with generic names like "Photos" and "School." She clicked through his photos, but they were normal photos of Danny, his family, his friends, various sights around Amity Park and from his travels. Nothing related to the ghost boy…

…that she could see, anyway. Surely, there was more in his computer.

She continued clicking through Danny's files, wondering where he might keep information like that, information he probably would want to keep hidden.

A thought occurred to her. She changed the settings on Danny's computer to reveal all hidden items.

More folders and icons appeared, previously hidden. Paulina looked through them, but they still seemed unrelated to the ghost boy. They were mostly somewhat risqué items, things Danny obviously didn't want anyone to know he had.

When she found a rather sexy photo of herself on the computer, she had to chuckle. "Wow, where did he get this?" she asked under her breath, but she was actually flattered that he had gone to the effort of attaining the photo.

She continued clicking until she found a folder that was password-protected. She sat up, intrigued. What made this hidden folder so different from the others that Danny felt the need to put a password on it? She looked around his room, trying to figure out what Danny's password could be.

Astronaut? Incorrect.

Space? Incorrect.

Basketball? Incorrect.

Paulina chewed the inside of her cheek in thought.

Ghosts? Incorrect.

Fenton Thermos? Incorrect.

Danny Phantom? Incorrect.

She tried a string of words, anything that Danny might use to lock this folder. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Rejection again and again.

Her excitement was quickly being replaced with frustration. At last, she stood up and started pacing the room. Perhaps movement would help her think.

Or perhaps there was more in the room to investigate?

Paulina checked in Danny's drawers, under his bed, in his closet. Aside from some lewd magazines (well, he  _was_  a teenage boy, Paulina reminded herself, and they were still pretty tame compared to what she had once found in Dash's room), there wasn't anything of much interest to her.

She looked back at Danny's computer.

She had to get into that folder. She was sure that what she wanted was in that folder.

But what was his password?

All throughout dinner with Danny's family, Paulina tried to think about what Danny's password could be while doing her best to act like Danny. To her relief, Jazz did not bring up how she had had to meet with Lancer after school.

Back in Danny's room, Paulina sat at Danny's desk and stared at the empty password box, hoping that it would just come to her.

She leaned back and sighed loudly, then stared at the screen again. Behind the password box, she could see part of the photo of her that Danny had somehow gotten. She leaned forward, contemplating. She then typed another attempt.

_paulinafenton_

Paulina stared in disbelief as the folder unlocked. She couldn't help but blush. He liked her that much, huh? She might've been repulsed if it was anyone else, but coming from Danny…she actually kind of liked it.

She shook her head, silently reprimanding herself.  _He still has no chance with me_ , she thought, subconsciously wondering who she was trying to convince of that.

There was so much content in the folder, so many photos and documents. Paulina went through the photos first, and to her immense pleasure, she found photo after photo of Danny Phantom, and he looked just as handsome and heroic as ever in each one. Photos of him fighting ghosts, photos of him showing off his ghostly powers, photos of him posing for the camera, photos of him with Sam and Tucker—

So, Sam and Tucker really were friends with the ghost boy as well, then? She had figured as much, but it was nice to get confirmation.

But, wait…Danny Fenton was not in any of these photos.

She puzzled over this for only a second before deciding that he must've been the one who took all of the photos. He did say that the ghost boy was his friend, after all. Perhaps taking pictures of him in action was just one of the things he did for Danny Phantom.

After looking through the photos, Paulina scanned the ghost files as well. So much information compiled on a plethora of ghosts. Was this something else Danny did for the ghost boy? She clicked through each ghost file. Some of the ghosts were ones she recognized (like Ember, the Box Ghost…wait, Dora, the woman who ran the beauty pageant at their school?) while others were unfamiliar (Lydia, Clockwork, Walker). A wealth of information about each ghost that had terrorized their town at one point or another.

But…was there any information about the ghost boy himself? That was really all she wanted. She searched through the names, but there was no specific file dedicated to him. Why? Why didn't Danny have one for the ghost boy?

She sighed in frustration. Why couldn't this just be easy?

She clicked on the last file, a text document. It looked like it contained…journal entries. Paulina furrowed her brow as she began to read the entry under the first date.

_Ghost powers attained. Parents had been working on a portal that was supposed to lead to the "Ghost Zone," but they gave up on it when they just couldn't get it to work. I entered the portal to check it out (at Sam's request) wearing a protective jumpsuit. No idea what I was doing, accidentally pressed a button that turned the portal on. I don't know how to describe what happened then. I only remember seeing a flash of light and feeling intense pain ripping through me, as if my molecules were being changed, rearranged. Some time later, I woke up—_

"Danny?"

Paulina jumped and closed out of the window just as Danny's door opened. Jazz peered in at her. "Is your phone on silent or something?"

Paulina blinked. She was not even sure where Danny's cell phone was. Probably still in his backpack. "Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Sam and Tucker have been trying to call you." Jazz held up her own phone. "The Lunch Lady is apparently loose at that vegan place Sam loves so much."

Paulina raised a brow. What lunch lady was she talking about? She then remembered seeing a file about a ghost that took the form of a lunch lady. "So, you mean, there's a ghost attack going on?"

Jazz stared at her, slightly confused. "Yeah…the Lunch Lady."

"So…is Danny Phantom going to be there?" Paulina instantly regretted asking the question when she saw Jazz's expression change from confused to deeply perplexed.

"I…hope so?" Jazz crossed her arms and studied Paulina very carefully. "I honestly don't know what to say to that, Danny."

Paulina put up her hands in an attempt to defuse the suspicion. "Just kidding! Totally kidding."

Jazz stared at her a moment longer. "So…are you going to be okay to do some ghost fighting?"

Paulina grinned. "Of course!"  _If it's what Danny usually does_ , _I guess have to_ , she mentally added.

Jazz slowly nodded. "Okay. Um, I know you don't like me to get in the way, but would it be all right if I did tag along this time?"

What to say? What would Danny say? Paulina had no idea. She shrugged. "Uh, yeah, sure. Sounds good."

"Okay. We should get going." Jazz left the room in a hurry, and Paulina ran after her. After giving some excuse to Danny's parents, they both stood outside in the night air.

"I'll drive as fast as I can and meet you there. Sam's dragged you to that gross vegan restaurant before, right? So you can get there on your own?" Jazz climbed into her car and promptly locked it.

"Wait, what? Get there on my own?" But the red-headed girl could not hear Paulina through the rolled up windows of her car. Paulina watched her drive away, completely bewildered. How did Jazz expect her to get there any faster than in a car?

Well…she had to go. If it was something Danny Fenton would do, then she had to do it.

She began to run in the direction of the only vegan restaurant she knew of in Amity Park.


	9. She's a Phantom

The restaurant was farther than Paulina had thought. If only she had her moped…

Finally, in the distance, she could see what looked like green flashing lights. In this town, that typically meant a ghost attack. It was the sort of thing Paulina looked for when she would ride around at night looking for the ghost boy.

As she ran closer, she could see that there was indeed a ghost resembling a lunch lady terrorizing the only vegan restaurant in town. She could also see Sam, Tucker, and Jazz using unfamiliar weapons to try to fight the ghost. The lunch lady ghost was ranting about the lack of meat in the restaurant while using ghostly sausage links as a weapon of her own.

The sight of the ghost made Paulina feel cold, so cold that she could see her breath.

"Danny! Finally! What took you so long?" Sam sounded quite cross as she turned to Paulina.

"Yeah, I thought you would've beaten me here for sure!" exclaimed Jazz.

"I ran as fast as I could!" protested Paulina.

The three teenagers stared at her, and Paulina once again realized she had said the wrong thing.

"You  _ran_?" Tucker's expression was a mix of confusion and alarm.

"Why did you run?" demanded Sam.

Paulina shrank back a little. "Well, I took a bus part of the way…" How else had they expected her to get here? Did Danny maybe have a moped of his own that she could have used?

"Whatever, fine. You're here now. Go ghost already!" Sam ordered. She narrowly dodged a meat missile. "I'm surprised we've lasted this long."

 _Go ghost._ What did that mean? Paulina bit her lip as she watched the fight. Tucker seemed to be in a daze after being slammed against a wall. Sam and Jazz were holding their own pretty well.

Why were they fighting this battle like they knew what they were doing? Like they were used to it? Was this seriously something they did often?

And where was Danny Phantom?

"Danny?"

Paulina looked to see Jazz staring at her. Her eyes were wide with concern as she walked up to Paulina and took hold of her shoulders. "Danny, what's wrong?"

"Danny, come on already! Hurry up!" Sam sounded very irritated now.

"Sam, just a moment, okay? Let me talk to him," insisted Jazz.

"But we don't have time!" cried Sam.

"It'll be quick. Promise."

Sam only growled in response as she fired another shot from a strange-looking gun at the lunch lady ghost.

Jazz turned back to Paulina, her hands still gripping the Latina's shoulders. "Danny, I know that something is going on with you right now. You haven't been yourself at all lately."

Paulina swallowed. Did Jazz know the truth?

"You seem to have lost your confidence, your will to fight. I don't know if something happened in school or if you had a particularly bad ghost fight, but you can't let it get to you, not when everyone needs you." Jazz smiled. "We can talk more later, but just know now that we all think you're amazing no matter what."

Paulina studied Jazz's face, her eyes. This was certainly supposed to mean something significant, but she could not make any sense of it.

"Okay, so let's just breathe a moment." Jazz closed her eyes and took a deep breath, obviously wanting Paulina to do the same thing. She looked down and closed her eyes, drawing in a large breath.

"Whatever has been troubling you, put it aside for now," Jazz continued. "Right now, there is no homework or chores or bullies. There is just here and now, a ghost that needs to be dealt with, friends to be saved."

Paulina could hear Sam and Tucker yelling something to each other, but she could not understand them.

"We need Danny Phantom."

Paulina opened her eyes at this. The way Jazz said this was very bizarre, almost as if…but no, that wasn't possible.

"Just let your stress and fears go for now," said Jazz, her eyes still closed. "Just focus your energy, allow yourself to change."

Change…?

"Imagine your problems leaving as your molecules rearrange."

Paulina was extremely puzzled. She knew that Danny's sister was some sort of genius who studied many subjects intensely including therapy and psychology. Was this just some sort of weird, new age stress-relief technique? She was supposed to just imagine her molecules changing, rearranging, freeing themselves of tension?

Well, the girl  _was_  a genius. Perhaps she should give it a try. Paulina shut her eyes and did as Jazz instructed, imagined her cells transforming, becoming stronger, free of any negative energy. To her surprise, she could actually  _feel_  herself changing, her molecules indeed taking on some sort of strange new energy, a good one, a potent one.

She felt…powerful.

She opened her eyes and looked back at Jazz, who was now beaming at her. "Feeling better?" the older girl asked.

"Yeah!" Paulina gushed. "Wow, I feel so—" Paulina halted. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see that she was not wearing Danny's clothes anymore.

In fact…she was wearing…

She grabbed at the black jumpsuit she was wearing, then looked at her now white gloved hands in shock. She pulled at her long hair which was now white. And  _glowing_.

 _Paulina, your skin is glowing._ Glowing _._

The memory of Star making that joke just a couple days ago slipped into her head.

So many thoughts and questions, but all she could utter in an astonished whisper was, " _I'm_ Danny Phantom."

No,  _Danny_ was Danny Phantom. Danny Fenton. Danny Phantom. Fenton. Phantom.

Danny Fenton was the ghost boy.

_Just a disclaimer now: you're in for quite a shock._

Delphine's words seemed like an understatement now.

"Danny?"

Paulina could hear Jazz trying to get her attention. She refocused on the redhead whose smile had been replaced with grave concern.

"Danny, you finally transformed!" Sam sounded relieved.

"Yeah, but…he actually looks worse than before," Jazz noted, turning back to Sam. "I think your worries have definitely been warranted."

"But we need him!" Sam cried. "Danny, please, whatever is going on, we can work through it later, but right now, we really need your help!"

Paulina looked down at her gloved hands again. She remembered why she had fallen in love with the ghost boy in the first place. Not just because he was handsome, not just because he was sweet, but because he was a hero. Danny Phantom was the savior of Amity Park when it came to ghosts, and right now,  _she_  was Danny Phantom. She had his power. She was the only one who could stop this ghost.

She ran into the fray and faced the Lunch Lady. The Lunch Lady glared back at her. Paulina drew in a breath, determined. This ghost didn't look so tough.

The Lunch Lady screamed and transformed, growing larger and larger as ghostly meat surrounded her body and changed her into a terrifying monster. Paulina gaped up at her, her fleeting confidence already gone.

"Danny, don't just stand there!" cried Tucker.

Paulina wondered what the ghost boy would do (what  _Danny_  would do!). He would…shoot ectoplasmic energy at her? She thrust an open palm toward the ghost, but nothing happened.

"Danny?" Sam's voice was teeming with panic.

"I told you, Sam. Something's not right with him," said Jazz.

The meat monster fired a blast of its own at Paulina, knocking her backward a far distance. She moaned in pain.

"Danny!" Sam, Tucker, and Jazz shrieked.

Paulina shook her head and ran back to the others. She couldn't give up. Danny Phantom would never give up.

Danny…would never give up.

She couldn't think about that now, couldn't think about how the boy she had mercilessly teased and thought so little of was actually the object of her affection all along.

The meat monster launched a string of sausages at her. She jumped over them, but to her surprise, she did not return to the ground. She stayed in the air. She was  _flying._

But no time to marvel at that either.

From the air, Paulina once again tried to send a blast of ectoplasmic energy at the meat monster, but still nothing appeared. Was there some sort of trick to it?

A barrage of meat went flying her way. Paulina dodged it, felt her center of balance wavering slightly. Hovering and flying were certainly not as easy as they looked. She focused and tried to send a blast again. This time, a small jet of green light rushed from her palm, but it missed the meat monster entirely. She shook out her palm and tried to take better aim, but an onslaught of meat hit her straight on, knocking her to the ground again. She groaned. Her whole body ached, and she felt somewhat nauseous.

"Danny!" Sam rushed to her side. "Danny, can you get up?"

Paulina managed to get onto her hands and knees. "I'm fine." She tried to stand, but a wave of nausea and pain forced her back to her knees.

Sam put a comforting hand on her back. "Danny, take it easy."

"No, Sam." Paulina managed to get to her feet, shaking only a little. "I can do this." She charged back at the monster and summoned all of her strength, her strange ghostly energy. She could feel something building in her, something otherworldly coursing through her spectral veins. She screamed, holding her open palm out toward the monster. A bright green flash appeared, blinding her.

Her head started spinning with pain, her body twisting from a force she could not control. A high pitched ringing, but all other sounds were dulled. So much heat, so unbearable.

"Danny? Please, please, Danny, wake up. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. Please, Danny, please. Please be okay."

Sam's voice began fuzzy, then became clearer. Paulina opened her eyes and groggily waited for her vision to focus. She could see Sam, Tucker, and Jazz looking down at her. They looked frightened, panicked.

"Danny?" Sam's eyes were misty.

Paulina moaned as she sat up. She could feel sweat on her forehead and neck, but she was actually quite cold. She shivered.

"Are you okay, Danny?" Tucker asked.

Paulina tried to stand, but the hands of Danny's friends and sister forced her back down.

"You should just rest for a bit, Danny," said Jazz. "Here, drink this."

She handed Paulina a water bottle. She sipped at it, not wanting to further upset her queasy stomach. She noticed that she was again wearing Danny's normal clothes, no longer in ghost form. She glanced around, wondering where the meat monster was.

Or was it just a dream?

"We managed to take care of the ghost," said Sam, holding up a Fenton Thermos. "Don't worry about it."

Paulina massaged her aching head. "What happened?"

"The Lunch Lady knocked you out," said Tucker. "Really hard, too. We haven't seen you get knocked out like that from such a low-level ghost since…" He shrugged. "It's been a long time."

Sam rubbed Paulina's back in a circular motion. "I feel terrible, Danny. It was so obvious that you weren't in any condition to battle ghosts, but I made you do it anyway."

"No," said Paulina. "It's…my duty. I'm supposed to fight ghosts, to protect everyone." Danny's duty, his obligation. Danny had taken on this role as a fighter and hero, and not for glory. He never boasted or tried to win favors as a vigilante.

Why did Danny do all this anyway?

"I just don't want you to think we're taking you for granted," said Sam. "What you've chosen to do with your powers is certainly noble, but you still have limitations." Sam sighed. "Whatever has been on your mind, whatever has been holding you back, I hope you know you can talk to us."

Paulina gazed at Sam, her eyes full of sincere concern and sympathy. She looked at Tucker and Jazz. They wore the same expression.

Danny didn't have a lot of friends, but the ones he did have undoubtedly cared about him deeply.

Tucker helped Paulina stand. Paulina gave everyone a smile. "You guys are great. Really." She paused, her eyes to the ground. "Something _is_  on my mind, something that has been holding me back." She looked back up at everyone. "But it's something I can't tell you, at least not right now."

"We won't push you," said Sam, her tone anxious, "but can you at least tell us if you're going to be okay?"

Paulina nodded. "I'll be just fine."

In the passenger seat of Jazz's car, Paulina stared out the window at the night sky. Her astonishment had subsided, and now she could think more clearly. Jazz did not try to talk to her; the redhead seemed to sense that her "little brother" needed some quiet time.

How long had Danny had these powers? How did he get them? What were they, exactly? Did this mean Danny wasn't human?

In Danny's room, when everyone else in the house was asleep, Paulina stared into the mirror, Danny's blue eyes gazing back at her. She willed herself to change and watched his blue eyes become green. Over and over, she watched his reflection transform from human to ghost to human to ghost again.


	10. Stranger Than Fiction

Paulina didn't open her eyes. Not yet. She could tell it was morning by the way the light filtered through her eyelids, but she just wanted to… _feel_  everything first.

Danny's sheets were quite soft. His pillow was firm but comfortable.

She imagined Danny actually being in this bed, waking up every morning in this same room.

Returning to this same room every night after a ghost fight, or perhaps a series of them.

She recalled lines from his journal entries that she had stayed up nearly all night reading, causing her to now be groggy from lack of sleep but filled with a mixture of conflicting emotions.

_I guess I'm half-ghost now? Not really sure what that means yet._

_I wasn't sure what to do with these new powers, but turning on the portal seemed to give ghosts a way to get into our town, so I feel that it's my responsibility to stop them._

_I'm discovering new powers all the time! I never thought being half-ghost could be so awesome!_

_Another ghost down, a million to go._

_I feel great! I'm definitely getting stronger._

_My flight time is faster than ever._

_Invisibility and intangibility sure can come in handy!_

_So much I wanted to do before, so much I couldn't do, but I'm so much more confident than I used to be. I always felt so insignificant, especially next to my genius sister, but now, I feel like I can do anything, be anything. I feel like I can actually achieve all of my dreams. I feel like I'm finally worth something._

So much triumph, pride, and courage. Paulina loved reading about Danny's battles, victories, encounters, heroics. He detailed each of them so well, even included photos that were credited to either Sam, Tucker, or Jazz.

But amidst all of that, there were the darker entries, too, the ones filled with despair, doubt, and agony.

 _Sometimes, I want to quit. I wish I_ could _quit. But if I do, what will happen to this town?_

_I don't feel like I can confide in Sam or Tucker a lot of the time. They always insist I'm just tired or that I need some time to think or that I can't be selfish. They keep telling me that everyone needs me. Talk about pressure._

_I'm doing worse and worse in school. I just don't have time for homework anymore, or I'm too tired to do it. Lancer is always on my case, but at the same time, he seems to care about me more than my other teachers do._

_I'm basically working a part-time (sometimes full-time!) job that I'm not getting paid for, a thankless job that goes unappreciated most of the time. The people of this town that I keep saving either don't trust me or want to kill me. Why do I keep doing this?_

_I wish my identity was secret from the ghosts, too. Then I wouldn't have to constantly be worried about the safety of my family and friends or even classmates._

_I'm terrified. I've never been so scared._

_I'm in so much pain._

Paulina imagined Danny coming home at night to write these entries. Such heart wrenching sadness in so many of them. She imagined him leaning against a wall, sitting against his bed, or maybe even curled up on the floor sobbing uncontrollably.

Those were the images his poignant words conjured.

But no matter how depressing his entries got, he always returned to his gallant promise in a later entry.

_I want to protect everyone. I have to. No matter how hard it gets._

That sort of valiant nature was what made Paulina fall in love with the ghost boy in the first place.

But now who was she in love with?

Paulina finally opened her eyes. Danny's room looked so normal, like any other boy's room, and yet, he was as far from normal as any boy could be. The truth about him was so bizarre, more bizarre than any possible explanation or back story she could've come up with for the great Danny Phantom on her own.

In the only mirror in the room, Paulina gazed at her reflection, at Danny. Now she understood why he was so toned, why he was developing such a muscular figure. There were some fresh bruises and cuts from the fight with the meat monster just the night before, and she definitely felt quite sore. Did Danny often wake up feeling like this?

She could see old scars on his torso and arms. Scars from his battles, no doubt. They were mostly small and unnoticeable, probably because his ghost side healed much more efficiently than his human side as one of his journal entries indicated, but Paulina wondered about the story behind each one, wondered if Sam or Jazz ever tended to his wounds when he was in too much pain to do it himself.

_You've been obsessed with him for awhile now._

Danny's words from just a couple days ago drifted back to her. She groaned in embarrassment. This whole time, Danny knew that she liked his ghost side. He  _knew_ , and yet he never tried to capitalize on it, never tried to make any moves. His most forward attempt was telling her to make out with him, but he never actually tried to take advantage of her in his ghost form when he absolutely could have at any time. She would've surrendered to him completely if he only asked.

But would she surrender to him now, now that she knew her darling Danny Phantom was also the unpopular Danny Fenton?

-DP-

"Danny, do you want to talk now?"

All morning, Sam, Tucker, and even Jazz tried to get her to open up, constantly asking her if she was okay, if there was anything they could do to help, why she seemed unable to fight a battle that normally would've been easy for the real Danny Phantom.

At a table in the cafeteria at lunchtime, Paulina tried her best to be cheerful and upbeat so that they would stop pestering her. "I know I told you something is on my mind, but it still isn't the right time."

"I just feel so bad, Danny." Sam picked at her vegetarian meal. "I promise I won't ever pressure you like that again."

Paulina thought back to Danny's journal entries and doubted Sam's promise would last. "It's fine, Sam. Let's not worry about it, okay?" She chuckled. "Let's just go back to talking about normal teenage things."

"Like what?" asked Tucker, his mouth full of food.

"Like…parents." Paulina turned to Sam. She had gotten the impression that this was a hot topic for the goth. "How have your parents been?"

Sam moaned and launched into a rant about how her parents were oppressing her and not accepting her for who she was and other injustices which Paulina was not sure were real or imagined. She tried to pay attention, tried to pretend to be the good friend to her she knew Danny was…

But she wasn't Sam's friend, and she probably never would be. She had now seen the kind, caring, loyal side of the goth, but Paulina still didn't really like her.

But did Danny like her? Did he… _really_  like her?

Behind Sam, Paulina could see Danny in a pink shirt sitting with Star, Dash, and Kwan. He was laughing at something, grinning broadly as he spoke. He looked as cute and handsome as ever.

She didn't like the thought of him with Sam. Sam wasn't nearly sympathetic enough, was far too pushy, aggressive, stubborn. Sweet, gentle, sensitive Danny needed someone tenderer, more understanding, more compromising.

Paulina wished she herself fit that description, but she had always been so cruel to Danny, so merciless in her teasing toward him.

All day, she had stolen glances at him. Fascinated, she marveled at how someone like him could be so powerful underneath that small frame and otherwise ordinary appearance. Ashamed, she reflected on how humble and mild he still acted despite the poor treatment that was often inflicted on him, how he could have easily thrown Dash or played with her emotions in his ghost form, but he didn't simply because he chose not to.

Now, as she stared at him in the cafeteria, she wondered if there was any girl who was worthy of him.

Danny caught her eye, then laughed and pointed her out to the other A-Listers. Paulina looked down and covered her eyes with her hand.

"Danny, is something the matter?" Sam abruptly stopped her tirade about her parents.

"Yeah, dude, what's up?" asked Tucker.

"Nothing, nothing," insisted Paulina, but she had a horrible feeling that Danny was coming to their table. It was something she would've done, after all. She had always loved making Danny uncomfortable, and she especially loved doing it in front of Sam.

"Danny!" said the unmistakable voice of Danny Fenton. Paulina still had her eyes covered, but she could see the lower part of his body. With a deep sigh, she looked up at the boy. Star, Dash, and Kwan were with him, their eyes mocking and their mouths curled into sneers.

"Paulina, what do you want?" asked Sam, her tone dry but hostile.

"Did I say  _your_  name, freak?" Danny glared at her. The other A-Listers snickered.

"You're still in my space even if you aren't here to talk to me," said Sam. "I don't really appreciate you imposing yourself on me like this."

"You can leave. No one's making you stay." Danny's eyes were dark, intimidating.

"My friends are here. Why would I leave them?" retorted Sam.

Danny laughed. "I'm sure Danny would  _love_  it if you left so he could be alone with me." He turned to Paulina brazenly. "Right, Danny?"

Paulina chewed the inside of her cheek. His tone, his expression…they didn't suit Danny at all.

No, this wasn't Danny. This was  _her._  Paulina.

She was now experiencing firsthand how she made others feel, how she made the savior of Amity Park feel.

 _I'm a terrible person_ , she thought.

"Danny obviously doesn't want to talk you," said Sam when Paulina did not make a reply of her own, "so why don't you just leave us all alone?"

Dash hooted. "What's the matter, Fenter bender? You gonna let your girlfriend speak for you?"

"She's not his girlfriend!" cried Paulina, slamming a fist on the table.

There was a startled silence from everyone. Sam especially looked confused, hurt even.

"I mean…not  _my_ …I mean…" Paulina stopped talking, not sure how to fix what she had said.

"You really are weird, Fenton," said Dash, his brows slightly raised.

"Indeed," said Danny. His eyes narrowed seductively, but they were still full of arrogance. "You've been staring at me far more than usual, and while I am of course very flattered, I just want to remind you that I am way out of your league." He shrugged in mock-apology. The other A-Listers laughed.

The words struck Paulina hard. Hearing Danny say that he was out of her league…

But no, Danny wasn't saying this. She was. She was telling Danny that she was out of his league, that he wasn't good enough for her, that he didn't deserve her.

She used to really believe this, too. She used to believe that Danny Fenton was too pathetic, too much of a loser for her.

But in actuality…

She had been in love with Danny for a long time now.

Even though she knew who he really was now, her feelings for him hadn't actually changed. The only difference now was that Danny Phantom was suddenly real to her, human. He had all of the valiant points of the ghost boy she loved but also all of the adorable quirks of her dark-haired classmate, quirks that made him all the more fun to torment.

_You don't deserve him right now._

Delphine had told her that, and now she understood just how true it was. Danny did so much for everyone in this town, had done so much for her without her ever knowing, suffered through so much, put his life at risk on a daily basis. After all that, only the best could possibly be worthy of him, someone kindhearted and thoughtful, someone who would treat him with all the compassion and respect he deserved.

Paulina wanted him so much now, but she knew she didn't deserve him.

"Actually…" Paulina slowly stood and looked across the room with unfocused eyes. "I think it's  _me_  who is out of  _your_  league." Her tone was calm, not malicious at all. She was simply stating a fact.

She moved her eyes to Danny and the other A-Listers. Each of them looked dumbfounded, especially Danny. His jaw was dropped slightly, but he quickly regained his composure once she met his gaze. "Out of  _my_  league? Really?"

"Really," confirmed Paulina simply. "It's you who isn't good enough for me."

Danny scoffed. He seemed to be at a complete loss for words.

Dash narrowed his eyes at her. "You really should know your place by now, Fenton." He smacked a fist into his other palm. "Or am I gonna have to remind you yet again?"

Paulina stared him down. She could feel Danny's ghostly power within her, making her cells indefatigable, indomitable, invincible. "I'm not afraid of you, Dash."

Dash's expression became more menacing, and part of Paulina knew she probably shouldn't antagonize Dash for Danny's sake, but she wasn't actually Danny. She was Paulina, and she never let anyone intimidate her, and she certainly wasn't going to let anyone threaten Danny.

Star and Kwan murmured something to each other. Dash's face became stony. Danny's mouth was pursed as he studied her, obviously confused by her cold, staid conduct which would have been extremely uncharacteristic for the real Danny.

Paulina briskly walked away. Behind her, she heard Dash yelling at her to just wait until there were no teachers around. But she didn't have anything to worry about, not with these ghost powers she currently possessed.

"Danny, wait!" Tucker called as he caught up to her.

"Yeah, Danny, hold up!" Sam put a hand on Paulina's shoulder.

Paulina didn't stop walking. She wasn't sure where she was actually going, but she couldn't stop moving. She had to walk off this restlessness.

"Danny, what you did back there…" Sam seemed unsure where to even start. "That was incredible, Danny. You really stood up to them."

"Yeah, the look on Dash's face was priceless!" Tucker laughed.

"Not as priceless as the look on Paulina's when Danny told her he was the one out of  _her_  league." Sam grinned euphorically. "That was definitely the highlight of my week, maybe even the whole month."

Paulina stayed quiet. She had stopped walking and was now outside.

"Something is obviously really wearing on you," said Sam, "but I'm proud of you, Danny." She gave Paulina a small smile, but the elation from before had been replaced by a hint of sadness. Paulina wondered if it was because she was still very worried about her friend or if she was hurt by being dismissed so quickly as Danny's girlfriend.

Paulina thought about Danny's double life, about all of his sacrifices for the town. "I'm proud of me, too."


	11. Beautiful Illusion

Late that night, Paulina lay on Danny's bed. Delphine had told her that she had only to wish to return to her normal self when she was ready, but…

She wasn't ready. Not yet.

But what more did she need to do? She had found exactly what she needed to know.

There was something she wanted to do first, something she was afraid that if she didn't do now, she wouldn't get the chance to later.

She lay on Danny's bed contemplating, wondering if she should go through with it.

She wondered if Danny Fenton could ever really like her. Sure, he had used her name as his password, and she had read about herself several times in his journal entries, but what did that really mean? Did he like  _her_ , or her looks?

Well, what was there for him to like about her besides her looks? All she ever did was taunt him, debase him, insult him. Any kind thing she had said to him had a selfish ulterior motive behind it, and Danny was apparently well aware of it after he had so easily resisted her advances just a couple days ago.

She recalled the references made to her in Danny's journal entries. There was one time when she was apparently overshadowed by a ghost named Kitty and dated him for a short while. She had wondered what had happened during that time, why everyone insisted that she had been dating him when she had no memory of it. All she could remember was the ghost boy saving her, and from that moment on, she was completely in love with Danny Phantom.

Completely in love with…Danny Fenton…

Danny wrote about how he had legitimately enjoyed dating her when he thought she was Paulina, that they had fun together, that she was sweet to him. He only stopped enjoying it when he found out that she was not actually Paulina at all.

 _Paulina's in love with me now, but with the wrong me!_ Danny had remarked ironically at the end of it. It was obviously meant to be humorous, but Paulina wondered if he was disappointed, if he was troubled by her only liking one half of him.

But it seemed to be something he dealt with regularly. Even his own parents hated half of him. Judging by some of his entries, that seemed to affect him pretty deeply, but he generally managed to stay positive. She had to admire that confidence, that determination.

Danny had said other things about her here and there. They were mostly asides that actually had no bearing on the important ghostly details of his entries, but it was as if he couldn't help himself, as if he simply had to mention her…

As if…he really did like her…?

_Paulina looked so pretty. I really wish I didn't have to take back the amulet because it looked amazing on her._

_I looked so stupid! I'll never have a chance with Paulina now. But man, did she pull off Sam's trademark look…but I'll never tell Sam that._

_Paulina looked really sad today, but I couldn't bring myself to say something to her. She probably would've just told me to get lost._

_I know Paulina only invited me so that Danny Phantom would show up, but I didn't care. It was still an opportunity to be at a party with her._

_Sam complained about having to sleep in the same room as Paulina, but all I could think about was how lucky she was…_

_Paulina hugged me! As Phantom, but still, it felt amazing. But I want her to like the real me, not just Phantom, so I can't take advantage of this._

But he also said things like this about other girls, most notably Valerie and even Sam, so did these comments really mean anything? Or was Danny only infatuated with her, had no actual feelings beyond lust for her?

Did she even deserve any other feelings from him?

The last two entries from the nights before Delphine worked her strange ghostly magic to switch Paulina's life with Danny's were perhaps the most revealing, but Paulina still wasn't sure. He wrote about meeting Paulina in the elementary school soccer field, how he was worried that she would figure out his secret. The entry was mostly filled with concern, but there seemed to be a great amount of longing, too.

_She really pulled me in, and I actually did want to kiss her. She looked so beautiful, her voice and words so flattering. She really does seem to like me…er, Phantom, that is. I wish she could like Fenton, too._

_I have to tell Sam and Tucker about this, about Paulina seeing my last name on the Thermos. Sam's not going to be happy…well, I just won't tell her about the almost-kiss._

Paulina had to chuckle at that last part. Sam really was a jealous girl, it seemed.

The entry from the night right before the switch contained the same sentiment.

_Paulina tried to kiss me again, but it felt different this time. This time, I didn't want to return the kiss. Well, I mean, I guess part of me did, but not like that. I could tell she just wanted something. I wish that something was me, the real me, not Phantom. But I really should give up. Like she's told me so many times, I don't have a chance with her._

She wondered if Danny really believed that last line. Did he honestly think he wasn't good enough for her? She wanted to correct this immediately, wanted to pull him close to her and assure him that he most certainly was good enough for her, that he always had been, that she had been too narcissistic and vain to see it, that it was actually her who wasn't good enough for him.

But she could be good for him now. She was sure she could be.

She had to see him. She had to go to him right away. She finally made up her mind as she hopped off Danny's bed and moved to his window.

She didn't want to wait for Delphine. She didn't want to wait until she was herself again. If she didn't do this now, perhaps she wouldn't get the chance later. She had tried kissing him  _twice_  now, after all, and she had failed each time.

But she knew she couldn't possibly fail this time.

She focused her thoughts and felt her body change, transform. Infused with otherworldly energy, she willed her molecules to become intangible and soared out into the night air. It still felt alien to her, the most peculiar feeling of weightlessness and yet intense power, but it also felt wonderfully miraculous. She flew up into the diamond sky.

Incredible. Was this ordinary to Danny now, or did he still marvel at what he was able to experience that no other human could?

She could've danced through that sea of stars all night, but there was somewhere she wanted to be even more, someone she wanted to be with more than anyone else.

And she knew exactly where he was.

As she approached her house, her real house, she could see that all of the lights were off. She knew it was late and that everyone was asleep, but she had to see Danny now. She knew he wouldn't mind once he saw her, not while he possessed her thoughts and desires. After all, Danny Phantom visiting her in the night was always a fantasy of hers.

She floated up to her bedroom window. She became intangible and drifted through the glass and curtains. She landed on the floor of her bedroom and looked around, her spectral glow gently illuminating the nearest surroundings. Everything looked exactly as it always did: her dresser, her vanity, her photos, her lamp, her bed.

There was only one thing different, one thing she had never seen in her room before, one thing that she wished could stay and never leave.

Paulina approached her canopy bed and gazed at the boy who was sleeping under her covers. She held her breath as she beheld the sight. He looked so tranquil, so handsome.

So kissable…

Paulina knelt down beside the bed so she could be at eye level with him. His breathing was even and calm. She pushed a lock of dark hair off his forehead so she could see him better, could admire him more fully.

Danny stirred. Paulina jumped back several feet, not expecting her gentle touch to wake him. She watched Danny's eyes flutter open, blink in confusion, and widen in astonishment. He raised his upper body, supporting himself on one arm. "Ghost—!"

Paulina put a finger to her lips to shush him, and Danny obeyed her silent command. She didn't want to hear him call her "ghost boy." No, that would spoil the moment.

He gawked at her for a moment before turning his body and getting off the bed. He stood before her, seemingly not sure what to do. Paulina was sure he had so many questions, but he remained quiet as he studied her.

Paulina took in the whole sight, her white glow falling on him. He was wearing a thin pink shirt and pants that looked somewhat similar to the nightgown she usually wore, but it had changed to fit his build and style, made him look masculine and adorable all at once.

They stood at a distance in silence for awhile. Paulina was not sure how long, but time seemed to stand still in that moment.

At last, Danny slowly moved toward her. Paulina watched him but made no movement herself as he drew closer. She could feel her pulse quickening, her body quivering.

He stopped when he was just a few inches from her. He looked into her eyes, his expression inquisitive, his mouth partly open as if he was in a trance. Paulina could now clearly see a pink tinge in his face.

He had never looked more enticing than he did now.

Paulina put both of her white gloved hands in his hair and stared at him intently. He seemed surprised, but he did not fight her. She closed her eyes and placed her mouth against his. She felt him tense but then quickly loosen with a soft moan. He wrapped his arms around her, returning the kiss with an equal amount of passion.

His warmth, his texture, his taste…

Elation, ecstasy, exaltation.

She pulled him even closer so that she could feel his heart pounding against hers. She ran her gloved fingers over his face, down his neck, across his shoulders. How she wished she could actually feel him against bare fingertips, tear off this jumpsuit and know what his skin really felt like.

If she could just change back…

But no, she couldn't do that. It would shock him, probably completely ruin the moment. No, she had to stay this way if she wanted it to last, to end well. She realized that she was essentially kissing herself, but he looked and felt like Danny. It felt real.

She opened one eye just a bit and glanced at their reflection in her vanity mirror. She saw herself in a pink nightgown kissing a boy with white hair. No matter how anyone saw this, this was a real kiss between Paulina and the ghost boy. Paulina was kissing Danny Phantom.

And Danny Fenton.

Paulina could feel her desire rising, piquing. She wanted to throw him on her bed and climb on top of him. She knew that he would let her since he currently had Paulina's yens and urges. He would let her go as far as she wanted.

But these weren't the right circumstances for that.

She pulled away with a gasp and stared at him. Danny stared back at her, breathing heavily, smiling with those lovely lips of his.

She had to leave now if she wanted to resist this temptation.

Soundlessly, Paulina managed to tear her eyes away from the most gorgeous sight she had ever seen and intangibly flew out through the closed window. She tried to catch her breath as she soared through the cool night air. There were no words she could use to describe that moment, nothing but sensory memories.

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She never wanted this feeling to go away.

"How was it?"

Startled, Paulina opened her eyes to see Delphine flying on her back below her, her hands behind her head.

"How was what?" asked Paulina uneasily.

"You know what I'm talking about," said Delphine with a knowing simper.

Paulina pouted in slight embarrassment.

"The switch, of course! Did you find out what you wanted?"

Paulina gave Delphine an awry glance. "Well, seeing as I'm currently a ghost, yeah, I would say I did."

Delphine laughed heartily. "Didn't see that coming, huh?" Delphine righted herself and flew beside Paulina. "No one would ever suspect that cute little Danny Fenton is the dashing hero of this town."

"No," said Paulina with a frown. "I certainly didn't." She looked at Delphine seriously. "And yet, it was so obvious."

"Human nature. Humans won't believe anything they think is impossible until it's proven beyond a doubt to them." Delphine smiled. "And even then, they don't always believe."

"Humans? As opposed to ghosts?"

"All us ghosts have known since the beginning that Phantom was only half-ghost," said Delphine nonchalantly. "We're used to what might seem impossible to humans."

"Oh." Paulina looked ahead as she reflected on this.

"Are you ready to switch back?"

Paulina nodded. "Yes."

"What you do from here is entirely up to you," said Delphine.

Paulina was quiet for a moment. "Do you think I deserve him now?"

"That's for you to decide."

Delphine changed her angle and flew away, disappearing form view as she turned invisible. Paulina watched her fade away, then flew the rest of the way to Danny's room where she changed back and climbed into his bed.

As she fell asleep, her mind relived her kiss with Danny. Perhaps it wasn't actually real, not when they weren't really themselves, but it was a beautiful illusion nevertheless.


	12. Wrapped Together

From the way the light hit her eyes, Paulina immediately knew she was in her own room again. She sat up and looked down at her nightgown. Hers. She looked at her canopy. Also hers. She walked to her mirror. It was her own reflection.

It was good to be back in her own room, but she couldn't help but miss seeing Danny in the mirror. She stood in the spot where she had embraced him just the night before, had felt his soft lips against hers.

She imagined what he was doing right at that moment. Waking, stretching, yawning.

She couldn't wait to see him again. The real him. She wanted to see his normal smile, not the twisted one that didn't suit him at all.

She looked through her clothes, wondering what to wear, wondering how to do her hair, wondering how to do her make-up. What would impress him most? Giddiness, excitement, nervousness, anxiety. She had to look good, had to look perfect, had to look more beautiful than she ever had before. This wasn't just any boy, after all.

When she met up with Dash and Star at the bus stop, they both took notice of how much care she had put into her appearance that morning.

"Wow, Paulina. What's the occasion?" Star raised a brow. "I mean, you don't normally curl your hair."

Paulina fingered her curled locks. "Does it look okay?"

"No, it looks amazing," said Star. "I'm just confused why you did it."

Dash's face was noticeably red as he looked at Paulina. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Are you trying to impress someone?" asked Star.

"Is it that obvious?" Paulina now felt self-conscious. Perhaps this would be coming on too strong. What would Danny think of this thinly veiled attempt at getting him to notice her? Would he go for it, or would she scare him off? Or would he once again think she was trying to manipulate him into doing something for her?

"Yeah, I'd say it's pretty obvious." Star laughed. "Okay, who is it?"

Paulina bit her lip.

"Just don't say it's Fenton."

Paulina looked away and twisted a curled strand of her hair.

"Oh, my gosh, it's Fenton." Star snorted.

"What? Fenton? After what he said to you yesterday?" Dash looked at Paulina in shocked confusion.

"I guess Paulina likes a guy with sass." Star shrugged, a huge smile on her face. "She's never had a guy talk to her like that before. Maybe that's been the key to her heart all along."

"What? I could've done that! I can be sassy!" Dash turned squarely to Paulina. "Say anything! I'll throw it right back at you!"

"What even is this, Paulina?" Star rolled her eyes. "I mean, you call me in the middle of the night squealing about how Phantom came into your room and kissed you, and now you're all gussied up for  _Fenton_?"

"Wait, what? Phantom came into your room last night?" Dash's tone became more frantic. "And you kissed?" He grabbed Paulina's shoulders. "Did you do anything else?"

"Is Phantom even capable of doing anything else?" mumbled Star.

Paulina gently pushed Dash away. "It's complicated, all right? You wouldn't understand." The bus arrived. As Paulina boarded, she turned back to her friends. "Yes, Danny's remarks really got me thinking yesterday, and kissing the ghost boy made me realize that I had to stop chasing a schoolgirl dream and focus on someone real." She faced forward again. "And Danny's as real as they come."

Dash continued to bleat while Star amusedly demanded more details, but Paulina mostly shrugged them off for the duration of the bus ride.

-DP-

Before the bell rang, Paulina checked her make-up in her locker mirror, but this time, she really was concerned about her appearance.

"Paulina, as always, you look flawless. Stop worrying about it." said Star with a sigh. "I really don't understand your crush on Fenton."

"You just don't know him like I do," said Paulina, checking her teeth for lipstick marks.

Star rolled her eyes. "What's there to know?"

"You'd be surprised." Paulina closed her locker. In the distance, she could see Danny with Sam and Tucker. He was leaning against his locker looking despondent. She frowned, wondering what was going on in his head.

Wondering what was going on in his head was what got her in this position in the first place…

With a deep breath, she started walking down the hall. All heads turned to look at her, but she was only focused on one person.

Danny, Sam, and Tucker seemed completely engrossed in their conversation, so much so that they did not notice Paulina approaching them. They spoke in hushed voices, but as she drew near, she heard Danny say in a low, agitated tone, "I did something really bad last night, guys."

Paulina halted. Danny's back was against his locker, his head down, his hair obscuring his eyes. What was he talking about?

"You've been really stressed lately, Danny," Sam said.

"Yeah, you've been really out of it these past two days alone," Tucker chimed in.

Danny only shook his head.

Paulina then remembered that  _she_  was in Danny's place last night. But what had she done last night that would make Danny feel this distraught?

She had flown into her own room…and kissed him.

But as far as Danny knew, he had snuck into her room and had forced himself on her, assaulted her, all without a word.

As Paulina looked at Danny now, she could see just how bad he felt about it. It was not something he ever would've normally done, not the kind of thing he had been raised to do. It pained Paulina to see Danny feeling so guilty about something he technically didn't even do.

Sam noticed her first. She blinked and stiffened. Tucker turned to look at her as well. Danny gave his friends a look of confusion and worry, but he seemed too afraid to actually turn and see who they were looking at.

"Danny." Paulina shifted her weight, moved her books to her other arm. "Can I—?"

"Sorry, can't talk now," said Danny quickly. He brushed past her, didn't even meet her gaze.

Paulina tried to stop him, but Sam blocked her path.

"Paulina, I know you don't actually care about his feelings at all, but please don't tease Danny today," said Sam. Her tone was not friendly, but it wasn't hostile either. It sounded like a genuine plea on behalf of her friend.

"No, that's not—I mean, I  _do_  care—" Paulina tried to speak, but Sam and Tucker had already caught up to Danny who was a far way down the hall now. Paulina stared after him in dismay.

For the remainder of the school day, Paulina did her best to approach Danny, but he seemed intent on avoiding her at all cost. Even in the classes they had together, he always came in right as the bell rang so that she could not get a word in, and then he was out the door as soon as class ended.

At lunch, he was nowhere to be found. Paulina kept looking around, but she could not even see Sam or Tucker.

"Forget him, Paulina," said Dash. "Come on, what's so great about him anyway?"

"Where do I start?" Paulina put her head in her hands and stuck out her bottom lip.

"Seriously? Have you forgotten that he's one of the biggest losers in this school?" Dash's tone was a mixture of anger, bewilderment, and hurt.

"Dash, I don't ever want to hear you talk bad about Danny again," warned Paulina.

Dash grimaced. "Or what?"

"Or I'll kick you out of the A-List."

Dash was taken aback. "What? You can't do that!"

"Considering I'm pretty much at the top of it, yeah, I can." Paulina narrowed her eyes at him. "So leave him alone."

Dash did not reply, only stared at her as if trying to figure out if she was serious.

When the final bell rang, Paulina looked down the hall at Danny's locker, but he never appeared.

"Wow, Paulina." Star seemed genuinely surprised. "How does it feel? The first guy to actually go out of his way to avoid you."

Paulina leaned against her locker sadly but did not reply. It was her fault, all her fault that he felt too ashamed to interact with her that day. How could she have been so selfish to not think how her forceful action as Phantom would make him feel when he thought he was the one who had done it?

"Do you really still like him now? I mean, is his hard-to-get act really working on you?"

Paulina kept her eyes to the floor.

Star frowned. "You gonna be okay?"

Paulina finally looked up at her friend. "I'll be fine. I just wish I could apologize to him."

"For yesterday?"

"Yes," said Paulina, although she knew that Star was talking about the incident in the cafeteria and not the kiss she had made him force on her.

"As far as I know, Fenton's not the type of guy to hold a grudge." Star shrugged. "He's too nice for that."

Paulina recalled the last real interaction she had had with Danny, the real Danny. She had tried to manipulate him, toy with him, and even though he saw right through her ploy, he was still so kind, wasn't angry at all and didn't even seem to judge her for it.

And when he complimented her, told her she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen…

That was real. That was what he really thought. Not because he was trying to manipulate her himself but because he just wanted her to know.

And she wanted him to know that she thought he was the most amazing boy there could ever be.

-DP-

Late that night, Paulina lay on her bed and stared up at her ceiling, her arm draped over her forehead. Friday night, and instead of going out like she normally did, she simply had no desire to leave her room, let alone her bed.

Danny…

She would have to wait the whole weekend to see him again on Monday. But what if he still insisted on avoiding her? No, he surely wouldn't do that to her.

Would he?

But what else did she deserve from him? She had been so horrible to him, had done nothing more than objectify him, played with him like a toy for her own sadistic amusement. He had so many other problems trying to protect the town that gave him almost nothing in return, and she only aggravated his troubles by mercilessly taunting him, pulling him in and then breaking him down just when she had him on the edge.

But what was it about Danny that made her treat him like that in the first place? No other boy had drawn such actions from her. There had never been another boy she felt so compelled to string along. It had perhaps started with seeking petty revenge against the goth girl who had dared to insult her without even knowing her, but something about the boy kept her coming back for him, something about his adorable discomfited reactions and his beautiful eyes lit with so much hope. Even though she always thought of him as beneath her, she actually  _wanted_  him to keep pining for her. Any time she felt that he was moving on, she just had to be there to snatch him back, to keep him in her clutches even if she never planned on actually doing anything with him. She wanted him in her secret reserves, her treasury, her vault, locked away for her own pleasure whenever she wanted to bring him out to play. Sick, twisted, so awful.

But  _why_?

Did she always like him even before she knew he was the ghost boy? Secretly? Like Star kept insisting? But she was just too ashamed to admit it because of his status and so hid it under the pretense that she was just using him for fun?

And how did she really feel about him now?

A small tapping sound on glass. Paulina turned to her window. Her light was off, but she could see something bright glowing beyond the closed curtains. She immediately sat up, her breath caught in her throat.

Could it be?

She stood and walked to the window. The glow was definitely a ghostly one, and it was clearly outlining something, some _one_ …

Delphine?

Or…?

Please, him, let it be—

Paulina opened her curtains and saw Danny Phantom looking back at her from the other side of the glass. Her eyes lit up with excitement, her mouth stretched wide with joy, but Danny's expression was downcast and contrite.

She beckoned him inside with her hands. Phase through, phase through, quickly!

Danny looked at her seriously and slowly shook his head. It became clear to Paulina that he did not want to come in at all, did not want to intrude like she had forced him to the previous night. After locking gazes for a moment, Paulina finally opened her window. She rested her arms on her window sill and leaned out toward him. She waited for him to speak first as he hovered in the cool night air.

"Paulina," he finally began. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I don't really know how to—I mean, I've been trying to practice what I want to say—" He took a deep breath, made a gesture with his hands to indicate he wanted to start over. "Paulina, I want to apologize for last night, for what I did."

Paulina shook her head. "No, no, don't—"

"Paulina, please." Danny stopped her. He looked quite agitated. "I don't actually know why I came here last night, why I—" He paused, appeared to be trying to find the right words. "Why I entered your room without permission, why I—" He paused again, looked away. "I don't know what possessed me, what made me think it was okay to do that. It wasn't like me at all." He looked at her again. "That's not who I am. I would never…" He moaned. "But then I did, and I just—I feel so terrible—"

"Don't!" Paulina's heart ached over this feeling she had inflicted on him. "Really, I liked it. Do you have any idea how long I've been dreaming about you coming to me like that?"

Danny was quiet for some time, still so clearly racked with guilt and shame. "I still shouldn't have done it." He looked at her solemnly. "Please allow me to formally apologize for my…forwardness."

A small smile passed Paulina's lips, but she fought it back, did not want him to get the wrong idea. He really was so kind, so genteel, and his sincere apology was actually quite endearing to her. He was truly something else, someone who saw her as a real person.

But she saw him as a real person, too, and she had to make this right. She couldn't let him feel so bad for something he actually had no control over.

"Come in, ghost boy." She moved back from her window and gestured for him to join her. "Let's talk about it."

Danny shook his head again. "I can't. I shouldn't."

"I'm inviting you in. I  _want_  you to come in. Please?"

Danny shut his eyes, shook his head more fervently. "I really don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because…" Danny sighed and trailed off, looked at her wistfully. Paulina held his gaze for a moment before beginning to climb out her window.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Danny asked in alarm.

"If you won't come in, then I'll come out to you."

"No, what? No! Why?"

Paulina smirked. "Well, I'm not about to have a conversation with you through my window!"

"A conversation? No, I really just wanted to apologize," insisted Danny. "Really, you should go back in. It's too cold out here."

Paulina sat on her window sill. "If you want me to go back in, you'll have to carry me back in."

Danny stared at her, clearly flustered and conflicted. Paulina held out her arms to him with an innocent pout.

At last, Danny chuckled.

Paulina brightened. "Aw, finally, there's your cute smile." She leaned toward him. "I don't like seeing you so sad."

Danny's smile remained, but he still seemed unsure.

"I'm serious, though. Either you come in here to talk to me properly, or I'm coming out there to you." Paulina crossed her arms and waited for his response.

Engaged in something of a stare-down, the two teens were quiet for some time. Paulina never let her expression falter, but she could see that Danny was internally struggling.

He finally closed his eyes, then reopened them with a sigh. "Okay. If you insist, I'll come in."

Paulina happily clasped her hands. "Oh, I do! I do insist!" She swung her legs back over her window sill and jumped off. She turned around and waited for Danny to join her.

With obvious trepidation, Danny flew in and landed on the floor of her room. Paulina closed her window and curtains and admired him. Alone with Danny, the real Danny. She had him all to herself in the privacy of her room. Oh, where to start with him…

With the lights off, his ghostly glow provided the most romantic lighting. It was all Paulina could do to keep herself from rushing to him, throwing her arms around him and pressing herself against him. But she couldn't do that to him again, not without his permission.

"Paulina?"

Paulina blinked. "Hmm?"

"You do want to actually  _talk_  to me, right?"

"Oh." Paulina realized she had been quiet for too long, had been too taken by his breathtaking presence. She cleared her throat. "Danny, um…it's okay if I call you Danny, right?"

Danny smiled, a somewhat pensive smile. "Well, that  _is_ my name."

"But I mean…would you prefer Danny  _Phantom_?"

Danny shrugged amicably. "Whatever you want to call me is fine. Ghost boy, Danny, Danny Phantom…" He laughed. "Even Inviso-Bill. As long as it's you, I don't care." He blushed slightly and averted his gaze.

"I like Danny." Paulina smiled.

"Me, too," agreed Danny quietly.

Paulina nodded, glad to get that out of the way. He seemed to be relaxing, seemed to be far less distressed. But he was still so nervous. "Danny, listen, what you've done for this town…" She moved closer to him, looked straight into his eyes. "Do you have any idea how amazing you are?"

Danny kept eye contact, but she could tell that he wanted to look away.

"You're a hero. Really. I hate to think where we'd be without you."

Surprised, Danny didn't reply right away. "That's…um…I don't actually do all that much, really."

Paulina found his confounded reaction quite endearing and just so like him. She thought back on his journal entries, on what she experienced herself when she possessed his ghostly powers. "Danny, you know exactly what you've gone through for this town, what you've sacrificed to keep us all safe." She took one step closer to him. "You should be proud."

Danny finally broke eye contact to look down at the floor. "I appreciate that. Really." He sighed deeply, a shaky breath. "More than you can possibly know."

"Oh, I think I have an idea," said Paulina.

Danny looked up at her in confusion.

Paulina waved a hand to dismiss his unasked question. "Danny, I also want you to know that you mean a lot to me. Not just as a hero, but…as a person."

Danny furrowed his brow. "But Paulina, you know nothing about me. How can you possibly say that?"

"But I do know you. I do." Closer, closer, close enough to touch him. "You're brave. You're sweet. You do so much for others without them ever even knowing. You never expect anything in return."

So mystified, but Danny seemed drawn to her, seemed to be taken by her words. She took his hands in hers, waited to see how he would react. He let her hold him, did not pull away.

"Last night was incredible," said Paulina. "It was perfect. You liked it, too, didn't you?"

Danny looked down for a moment before meeting her gaze again. "Truthfully, I…it was almost as if I wasn't really there. Like…a dream." He blushed. "But it was a good dream. I mean…I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it or didn't want to do it."

Paulina waited for him to continue.

"I'm not sure what compelled me to come to you last night, but maybe…I mean, the other night in the soccer field when we almost…" He paused. "I guess maybe I just wanted to…" He groaned in frustration. "I don't know. Things were just so… _weird_ the past couple days."

Paulina frowned. She wanted to tell him why things had been strange for him, but this didn't seem like the right time. Not yet. "Is it weird now? Being right here with me?"

Danny studied her. "No. I feel…present now. This feels real."

She tilted her head back just a little so that her mouth was on the same level as his. "I want to kiss you again." Whisper. "Do you want to kiss me, Danny?"

A breath away…

Danny stepped back. "I can't."

Paulina looked at him with bewildered yearning.

Danny shook his head and gritted his teeth, turned away and shut his eyes. "You don't know me, Paulina. If you knew who I really am, you wouldn't want me."

"Don't say that. It's not true." Paulina tried to reach for his hands again, but he kept them away from her. "What do you think of me, Danny? Really?"

Danny looked at her again with his shining green eyes, eyes so full of longing and sadness.

"Do you like me?"

"I do," answered Danny quietly. "I actually  _really_ like you." Voice cracking, struggling. "But that's why I can't do this to you, Paulina. Please believe me."

He started to leave, started to move past her. Paulina couldn't let this end this way. She grabbed his arm. "Danny, don't go."

Danny halted and looked at her again. Paulina put both of her hands on his arm. "I want you to stay, Danny. Please."

Danny turned so that he was facing her again.

Paulina gave him her most charming smile. "Come on. Don't you think I'm pretty?"

Danny did not return the smile. "I think you're beautiful," he said in a low voice.

"And I think you're amazing. You're all I ever think about." Sincere, heartfelt. "Kiss me, ghost boy."

She put her hands on his shoulders, and she felt his go to her waist. He wanted to. She could tell he wanted to. He just needed encouragement.

Slowly, slowly, she moved in. Eyes closed, she brushed her lips over his, a small test. Cool but soft, soda bubbles fizzing and popping gently against her. She pulled back just a little before going for a real drink. Interlocked, she gently massaged his mouth with hers. Somewhat fluttery but so wonderfully sensuous. Somewhat vaporous, like kissing a cloud, but a cloud that was entirely tangible.

For him, just for him, she kept it gentle and tender. She wasn't kissing him out of lust but because she truly valued him. She soundlessly communicated her feelings for him, wove her heart into this silent act, wordlessly told him just how much he meant to her.

They pulled back, their arms still around each other. They gazed into each other's eyes, half-closed, dreamy.

And to Paulina's joy, Danny was  _smiling._

Paulina put her hand on the back of Danny's head, curled her fingers in the shimmering strands of his pearly hair. "A kiss with Danny Phantom is incredible."

Danny's eyes closed and opened slowly, a languishing blink. He moved as if to kiss her again.

"But you know what would be even more incredible?" asked Paulina.

Danny halted, obviously puzzled by her question.

Paulina grinned. "A kiss with Danny Fenton."

A beat, no words, no movement.

Then Danny stepped back, his green eyes wide, his jaw slacked. Paulina couldn't help but giggle at his adorable reaction.

"You know?" he asked in breathless astonishment.

Paulina shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah."

Danny stared at her for a moment, then put his hands to his head and walked away, paced the room. He finally returned to her. "But how? How do you know?"

"It's pretty obvious," said Paulina, holding up her hands.

Danny gave her a skeptical smile. "You're telling me that you're the first person in this entire town who finally figured it out all on your own?"

"Is that really so hard to believe?" asked Paulina playfully.

Danny crossed his arms and gazed at her with an expression of amazement and admiration. But then his expression changed to one of uneasy apprehension. "And…you're okay with it? I mean, you're okay with who I really am?" He looked down, his worry appearing to deepen. "And after what I said to you yesterday at school?" He looked up again quickly. "I have no idea why I said that, about you not being good enough for me. I don't think that at all. I've never thought that."

"I know you don't," said Paulina. "I know you didn't mean what you said." She had to tell him the truth. She knew that. If she wanted a real relationship with him, she couldn't build it on a lie. Yes, she would tell him. She would tell him everything.

"Danny, there  _is_  more to what's happened the past couple days, and I swear that I will tell you all about how I discovered your secret. I promise." She moved in close to him. "But not now. Not tonight. Right now, I just want to enjoy this moment with you." She pushed his illusory bangs off of his forehead. "Now, change back and kiss me again, Danny Fenton."

Gazes locked, Danny darkened as he lost his ghostly glow, as his frosted hair became ebony, as his emerald eyes turned sapphire.

She pulled him in, pressed herself against him. He felt just as he had before when she kissed him the previous night, but it was so much better now that she could caress him with her bare fingers. Kissing him in his ghost form had been wondrously peculiar, but kissing him in his true form was divine.

Because he felt so warm.

Because it was who he really was.

Her arms were wrapped around him. Her mind was wrapped around "Paulina Fenton."


End file.
